


Hiding

by kaguya2pt0



Category: Rockman | Mega Man - All Media Types, Rockman | Mega Man Classic
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-23
Updated: 2014-12-27
Packaged: 2018-02-26 16:22:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 41,227
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2658506
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kaguya2pt0/pseuds/kaguya2pt0
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dr. Light has been murdered, and Rock and Roll are missing. After a chance encounter with Blues, a journalist takes a journey to Siberia to uncover the truth. A slightly AU bridge between the Classic and X series.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Sayonara, Shizuoka

**Author's Note:**

> This is my slightly AU, semi-realistic take on the classic Rockman series. Though I mess around with the canon a bit, the characters will be totally recognizable. 
> 
> The setting starts off in near-future Japan.
> 
> Dedicated to former child robot superheroes everywhere.

When I learned Dr. Light was dead, I packed a suitcase, booked a same-day flight for Tokyo, and sent my daughter to stay with my mother-in-law.

"We'll meet up soon, who knows where," said my husband, as he ran out the door to hail a taxi, carrying nothing but his wallet.

I was ready. I knew exactly what would happen next.

"Nishikawa, this story is yours," said my superior, editor-in-chief of the Sapporo Herald. A normally stoic man, his hands were shaking. "Are you really okay with it? Can you be objective?"

"Yuichi and I have talked, of course. There's no conflict of interest." Many years ago, when Dr. Light had been head of the robotics department at Waseda University, Yuichi was his protégé. He later became an intern at Nurtech, a private A.I systems company, where he assisted Dr. Light and a few other brilliant minds, including the now-infamous Albert Wily, in their early work. And there, my husband had a front row seat to the strangest drama the tech age has ever seen.

"If you want to bail out, or if your personal connection starts getting in the way, tell me. I'll get someone else."

"I'm not going to change my mind." I glanced down at my own hands to make sure they weren't shaking too.

Takada leaned forward over his desk, smirking. "Just be safe and be smart," he said. "Remember, you have a daughter. You've heard the rumors, right? You're not going to stay in Tokyo, are you?"

"Shizuoka," I assured him.

"And does… Yuichi have any inside information about those rumors?"

"Not yet," I sighed. "But he will."

"Either way, my regards."

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

My flight was nearly empty, and eerily quiet. A stewardess confessed there had been "a few" last-minute cancellations. The other passengers, like me, kept their eyes glued to the news broadcast. We sat far apart from each other in the darkness, our faces illuminated by the glow of the netscreens.

"Dr. Light dead. Foul play suspected. Rockman's whereabouts unknown. Wily's next move?" the caption read. Above the caption was a video taken that afternoon, shot from a helicopter, of the outside of the computer scientist's sprawling home. The front door was missing, as if it had been blown right off its hinges. Masked forensics specialists were going in and out.

This was interspersed with live images of candlelight vigils held all over Tokyo and beyond. People held up signs they had hastily scrawled with the words, "Rockman, do your best!" or "Rockman, we love you!" A reporter asked a four year old girl in Odaiba to say a few words. She looked into the camera and said, "We just want Rockman to appear and cheer us up, like he always does. But he must be sad right now. That's why, when he comes out, we have to cheer him up instead."

People had loved Dr. Light, but they loved Rock even more.

Rock was Dr. Light's most famous invention, an android made to look exactly like a little boy of nine or ten. He was short, with a round face, big bright eyes, and thick messy black hair. He was cute, yes, but also extremely powerful. Rock, also called "Rockman," (his "superhero" name) was always the first to fight back whenever Wily attacked some part of the city. He could change at will into his fighting form, complete with shiny blue armor and a helmet. His right hand converted into a super-focused EMP cannon, harmless to humans but devastating to machinery. He was fast, and fearless, and smart. He could shut down destructive robots ten times his size.

But Rock did much more than fight Wily's robots. After the imminent danger had passed, he stayed behind to collaborate with rescue workers. He pulled people from burning buildings, dug out victims from beneath rubble with his bare hands, and comforted scared children. Once his work was finished, he usually disappeared as quickly as he came.

He was the type of hero Japan had long dreamed of: a modern-day Tetsuwan Atomu. And he was real. Every child wished desperately to meet him. Well, actually, every adult too. Some people were even known to hang around disaster sites just to catch a glimpse of him, or, better yet, be rescued by him.

Rock had saved many lives in the ten years since he'd been assembled by Dr. Light. After all, the good scientist said in interview after interview, saving lives was Rock's "directive." And yet, the people he saved often swore there was something strange about him, that he was more than just a life-saving machine. These people spoke of "warmth" and "energy" and "feeling."

A well-known and respected surgeon, after he had worked alongside Rock for hours to search for survivors in a collapsed hospital, told reporters this on a live news broadcast: "He's an incredible kid. Thanks to him, we found lots of people. I just hope he's all right. Toward the end, we couldn't find more survivors, only bodies, and he took it really hard. He's at risk for PTSD after this, so I think he should see a counselor. Anyway, I wish him good luck in his schoolwork. His parents must be very proud."

None of the reporters dared to correct him on camera. Rock was not in school, did not have parents, and could not possibly need to talk about his feelings with a counselor.

Many people who had interacted with Rock, however briefly, made the same mistake of "forgetting" he was a machine. His fluid movements, body language, facial expressions, and tone of voice were well documented on news cameras and netphones, compiled on the internet for anyone to see. There was a kind of joy in the way he fought Wily's robots, a kindness in the way he afterward reunited children who'd been separated from their parents in the commotion. Anger or despair when he arrived too late to help someone.

The rumor that had so unsettled Takada, and propelled my husband out our door without a second thought, and was now squeezing my insides like a vice, was that Rock had been destroyed while trying to protect his creator. There was talk of a media cover-up to prevent mass panic. For, if Rock was really gone, Dr. Wily would be free to menace Tokyo once again.

But I knew what Yuichi was thinking. He wasn't worried about Tokyo.

I called the stewardess so I could order a drink. Then I changed my mind, apologized, and sent her away. What was I worried about? I recalled all the glaring details my husband had omitted from his past, the times I had asked about Nurtech only to be told "I'm really sorry, but it's confidential." Even after Yuichi had left the company, even after Nurtech had ceased to exist.

During the Nurtech days, I rarely saw him. I wanted to know what he was doing with his life between the hours of eight a.m. and midnight, or why he sometimes disappeared for days at a time. Even when we were together, his eyes were far away. At first I suspected infidelity, but I was later consumed by something else, something that transcended our tentative young marriage: whatever Yuichi was involved in, it was world-changing.

So, I did some snooping. I'm a journalist, after all. Yuichi was good at covering his tracks, but he slipped up once, just at a time when my snoop sensor was in hyperdrive. It was thirteen years ago, when Rock had not yet been created, and Dr. Wily was known as nothing more than a very bright computer scientist. Our daughter Mirai had been born two weeks before, and Yuichi, still adjusting to his new role as a father, was more exhausted than usual. Early one morning, as they dozed together in bed, I noticed something odd written on the palm of Yuichi's hand. It was the barely-visible remnant of a date: 01.03.61. Yuichi often wrote notes on his hands, but this one caught my eye because the date was just two days before Mirai's birthday. The closeness, and incongruity, of that number disturbed me.

I slipped into the living room and scooped up Yuichi's phone. My heart pounding, I scanned through his recent emails, and found a message sent to him from Dr. Judith Sorensen, one of his senior colleagues at Nurtech. I needed a password to access it. I knew what the password was.

01.03.61.

The message read:

Dear Yuichi, congratulations on the birth of your daughter. Please give my love to your wife, Kaoru. What a happy coincidence.

As expected, he needs a little time to get his bearings. We'll be able to meet him before long, but for now, I hope this is enough to satisfy your curiosity.

Regards, Judith.

There was an attached video file named "Blues, 10:00 a.m., 1/3/2061."

I hastily copied the file to a disk, and buried it within my magazine collection. The next day, after Yuichi had left for work, I finally found the courage to watch it.

Later, I stored the disk in a safe deposit box at the post office. I never told Yuichi about it.

A year later, Nurtech announced it would hold a press conference to declare the success of the Jinsei Project, whose aim was to produce the first self-aware android. Dr. Light, who had led the project, was going to introduce "him" to the world. But to everyone's shock, the press conference was cancelled the next morning. Nurtech said that the android had been destroyed in an explosion.

Yuichi couldn't hide all of the truth from me any longer. He admitted he had been involved in the project, but refused to say anything more. He was morose.

The Jinsei Project was abandoned. Dr. Light retired from his professorship and dropped out of the public eye. A short couple of years later, out of the blue, Rock leapt into it.

Sometimes, when I was alone, I felt compelled to retrieve the disk from its safe deposit box and pour over the images again. The video showed Nurtech's ill-fated android, "Blues," opening his eyes for the first time, taking his first steps, and speaking his first words.

Privately, for years, I mourned for that strange new life cut short.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I rented a car at the airport, located my hotel on the GPS system, and set to autodrive. Cocooned in darkness, I watched the city lights flash by, saw the dark hulking forms of skyscrapers parting and shifting. There were people in the streets, but they appeared as nothing more than fast-moving blurs. With nothing but a netscreen for company, I felt more desolate than ever.

I tried calling Yuichi, but there was no answer. I sent him a message: "Headed for Shizuoka. Where are you?" A few minutes passed without a reply. I wasn't expecting one.

My finger wandered to the underside of my left arm, near the elbow. I pressed slightly and felt the smooth outer shell of my PIT tracking device. If I were to get into any serious trouble here, whether from a natural disaster, abduction, or Wily attack, this is how the Sapporo Herald would find me.

It was getting late, and the vigils on the netscreen were beginning to thin out. As it became clear nothing more would be learned about Dr. Light's fate today, the news stations began to broadcast old interviews they had done with him, or about him, in the past.

A typical interview with Dr. Light went like this: "There are people who insist that Rock is fully or partially human. According to some theories he is a cyborg, or even a normal human boy in a special suit. How do you respond to this?"

Dr. Light would smile. "Well, that's the highest compliment I could receive, and a testament to the genius of my colleagues and mentors, and the many who paved the road before us. We set out to create A.I. that was realistic and could understand the feelings of humans intuitively. This has been a goal of A.I. research for nearly a century now. There are programs all around us, in our homes and in public, that do this to some degree.

"Rock learns from social interaction, and knows how to emote appropriately. That's all. He looks, sounds, and feels human, and he's cute: there's a purpose to all of that. The more humans communicate with him as if he is one of them, the more he learns. The technology is sophisticated, but not beyond the reach of any other dedicated team of roboticists and programmers today."

"Dr. Light, is Rock related in any way to Nurtech's Jinsei Project, which you founded, the goal of which was to create a truly self-aware A.I. program?"

"No, and I have no desire to attempt anything like that again."

Try as they might, no other team of dedicated roboticists and programmers were able to produce a computer that could "emote" as appropriately as Rock.

About Rock, I suspected that what Dr. Light said in public and what he said in private were very different.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Rock, what do you like to do when you're not fighting, or helping people?" a popular young celebrity, Miki Ito, asked him once in an interview at Dr. Light's home.

"I practice, do simulations and stuff," he answered. "I'm trying to get better." It was summer, and he wore a grey jinbei decorated with white dragonflies. With bare knees and elbows, and a sheen of sweat in his black hair, his human boyishness was painfully apparent.

"You're working so hard to protect us. Is there anything else you like to do? For fun?"

"Um," he said, hesitating. His eyes wandered upward for a moment, then focused again Miss Ito. "Sometimes I'm really lazy and like to sleep a lot. Sometimes I read books. And I like hanging out with my sister, Roll."

"We'll be meeting your 'sister' later in the show. What do you do together?"

"We talk, play games, watch netscreen. She's the best. She likes to build things. She's smart, a lot smarter than me." He laughed. He shifted a bit in his chair and scratched his elbow, a gesture that did not go unnoticed.

"Hey, did your elbow really itch just now?" Miss Ito said.

"I guess," he said, a sheepish look on his face.

She giggled. "You're creeping me out! It's just like you're a real human boy."

"I'm not, I swear!" A playful grin appeared on his face. "I'll prove it to you." Quickly, he undid the tie at the top half of his jinbei. Opening the two folds of cloth, he revealed his chest—a normal, human boy's chest. With his index finger, he traced the shape of a rectangle slowly across his skin, twice. The camera zoomed in, right on cue. An opening appeared, and the "skin" pulled slowly back, revealing a mass of internal wires of many different colors and configurations.

There was a piercing scream. The camera panned back to Miss Ito, who had leapt out of her seat and was shielding her face with her hands, shrieking with laughter. "I didn't know you were going to do that!" she said.

Rock's insides were back in their place, and he was retying the straps of his jinbei. "Yes, you did," he said, smiling, as he brushed a strand of hair from his eye. "You practiced your scream in rehearsal."

"Well, sadly, it looks like our interview has almost come to an end." Miss Ito, having recovered, settled back into her chair. "On behalf of everyone, I want to thank you so much for being Japan's biggest hero. You give happiness and courage to people all over the world." She half-stood and crept forward to be nearer to Rock, pulling her chair beneath her. "But before we say goodbye, will you do you do something for me? Please? I'm embarrassed to ask, but…"

"What is it?"

She leaned in close. "Would you give me a hug?"

"Okay," he said. He stood up. She knelt down a little, to account for the difference in their height, and opened her arms. He walked into them quite naturally, letting his head come to rest on her shoulder. The camera zoomed in on his expression. He closed his eyes, a sanguine smile on his face.

Miss Ito squealed with delight. "He's so warm!"

Roll's one and only netscreen interview followed shortly after. She entered the living room in a flowery orange and red yukata, her blond hair tied back with a green ribbon. By all appearances, she was a spirited little girl the same age as Rock. The smile on her face was ecstatic.

"My goodness, you're pretty!" Miss Ito said.

"So are you!" the girl answered. She took a step forward, and held out her hand. "I'm excited to meet you… how do you walk in those shoes?"

The camera cut to a shot of Dr. Light's entranceway, with Miss Ito's purple ten-centimeter platforms arranged neatly in the corner. Audience laughter.

"They're in fashion now. As a girl, you understand, right?"

"I'm not a girl," Roll insisted, smiling, as she took her seat. More audience laughter.

"I apologize. Roll, thank you so much for honoring us with this interview today. This is a special occasion indeed. Your brother said you like to build things. That's very interesting. Could you show us something you've built?"

"Sure," Roll answered. With her delicate little hands, she opened a small cardboard box that had been sitting on the table since the beginning of the interview. She pulled out a still replica of a black and turquoise butterfly, placed it in the palm of her hand, and showed it to the camera.

"It's beautiful," Miss Ito said. "Is it a sculpture?"

"No," Roll said. She pressed gently on the butterfly's head, and it began to flutter around the room of its own accord.

"Amazing. Just like a real butterfly. How did you make that?"

Roll watched the butterfly as it alighted near the ceiling. "Dr. Light gave me the directive to make a simulacrum of a butterfly," she answered. "First, I went out into the garden to observe live ones. But there weren't enough for my research, so I planted flowers that would attract them. Soon there were plenty. I took videos of them flying. Then I had to do some research and some calculations… I chose the materials I needed, and I just made it."

"That's all?" asked Miss Ito. "It's really that simple?"

"No, it's not," Roll said, laughing, "but your producer is doing this at me." She made the "time's up" gesture with her hands. The camera cut to the producer, who laughed and nodded.

"That's right, I almost forgot," Miss Ito said. "The show's almost over, but we have to get your butterfly down from the ceiling, don't we?"

"Yes, we do."

"Luckily, we just so happen to have two butterfly nets with us today." An assistant entered the scene to pass the nets to her. "One for each of us."

When both had their nets in hand, they looked expectantly at each other. The butterfly, as if sensing their intent, started to flutter in wide circles at a frenetic pace. "Ready…" they said in unison. "Go!"

Roll's fate, like that of her "brother," was unknown.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The next morning, I woke up not knowing where I was. It was hot. Through the sunroof of my rental car, I saw a faded night sky above me, ringed by the tops of tall cedars. Venus was still visible, a faint little point of light being swallowed by dawn. I heard some chattering from the netscreen, but there were no words, only sibilants. "Ss-ss-ss." All other sounds were muted by the cawing of crows.

I jumped up in my seat and looked out the window. There were trees and hills all around. To my left was a one-lane farm road. Ahead, in the distance, I saw a shuttered produce stand, and behind me a derelict noodle shop, its roof slightly sagging. There wasn't another human being in sight.

I hadn't made it to my hotel.

The GPS monitor on the dashboard said: "Arrived at location: Shizuoka Prefecture, Shizuoka City, Aoi-ku, Umegashima, 8-8-12." It was 4:42 in the morning.

My netphone was flashing to indicate I had a message waiting for me. It was from Yuichi. "In Yokohama. I had to meet with Dr. Light's lawyer. Judith is here too. See you soon."

The news station on the dashboard netscreen was broadcasting another interview. I turned the volume up. "Dr. Light, according to a variety show that aired recently, your female robot, 'Roll,' is engineering some rather complex machines from scratch. Aren't you worried this could get out of hand?"

"Of course not," he said. "She builds only what I ask her to."

"But, what if you asked her to build a nuclear warhead, for example?"

"She'd have a hard time procuring the uranium, just like anyone else."

Of course. I remembered where I was and why I was here. I fumbled for my camera, kicked open the car door, and ran into the darkness.

This was Dr. Light's address.

In front of me, an unpaved road swerved off to the right, into the trees. It was flanked by a rusty postbox bearing the scientist's name.

I followed the path through the darkness, half at a run, with my hands held out in front of me. The crows' cawing became louder, as though it was me they were talking about. Within just a few hours, this place would be crawling with reporters. Now would be my best chance to get a good glimpse of the crime scene; perhaps the outside of the house, or property, would yield some clues about what happened there.

The trees opened up to reveal a sea of grass and wildflowers at least half a kilometer wide. In the middle of the clearing stood the house, flanked by a couple of cherry trees. It was one story, in a plain and refined traditional modern style. Behind the house was a garden, with a long stone wall hiding all but the tops of a few carefully manicured pines. The yellow tape was gone; the crime scene had already been cleared of evidence and scrubbed of all traces of death. The front door had been replaced.

I regarded the house with hope and dread. Pure, empty, and expectant, it was a Schrödinger's box.

A short fence ringed the perimeter of the property. I hopped over it, and was about to reach for my camera, when I saw a figure emerge from the trees on the far side of the clearing. I ducked into the shadows, too frightened to breathe. I was not alone after all.

Through the zoom lens of my camera, I watched the figure, short and thin, wearing jeans, a black t-shirt, and dark sunglasses, approach the house. He carried an empty brown rucksack across one shoulder. I took as many pictures as I could, but the image was grainy, and I didn't dare to use the flash. The figure pulled a key from his pocket, attempted to put it into the lock, and withdrew it without success.

The figure paced in front of the door for a minute, then walked to the side of the house. He placed his hands on the stone wall, hesitated, and at last began to scramble up with an agility that was inhuman. After a lot of heaving and grunting, he reached the top, and jumped over to the other side.

I waited. Five minutes or more passed. Lights went on and off in various rooms behind closed curtains. Finally, one light went on and stayed on. I began to hear faint piano music, played haltingly, which I recognized as the first part of Chopin's "Nocturne Op. 9."

With my heart in my throat, I crept toward the side of the house where the light was shining and squatted beneath the window. The music, beautiful and sad, filled the air. A few crows cawed in the distance, and the first cicada of the day screeched. Venus was gone, replaced by the pale yellow glow of morning. I, and the figure, were running out of time.

Feeling courageous, I peered through the window. There was just enough space between the curtains for me to see inside. The brown rucksack was lying open on the floor, crammed with notebooks and two large photo albums. I saw the figure at the piano, his sunglasses off and his eyes down at the keys. He was a young teenage boy, pale but handsome, with messy jet black hair.

I covered my mouth with my hand in shock. I knew that face as well as my own. It belonged to the boy from Yuichi's secret video file. A naturalistic, "appropriately-emoting" android that my husband had some part in creating, the first of its kind in the world. Rock's prototype.

Blues.

Without warning, the boy stopped playing mid-phrase and put his face into his hands. He jammed his elbows against the keys, and the discordant burst of noise made me jump. He sat like that, completely still, until the noise faded. Then, he wiped his eyes with the back of his hand, got slowly to his feet, picked up the rucksack, and turned off the light.

I heard a key turn in the lock at the back of the house, and then the small thud of the rucksack being thrown from the height of the wall, and at last the bigger thud of two feet landing on the ground. I followed the sound around a corner, and there he was with his back turned, stooping to pick up the rucksack.

"Excuse me," I said.

Without even turning to look at me, he threw the rucksack across his shoulders and ran. He was fast, and he was heading for the trees.

"Come back, please!" After thirteen years, I couldn't let him get away from me. My feet pounded against the dirt and my face dripped with sweat. I plunged into the woods after him. Without slowing his pace, he swerved around tree trunks and batted low branches out of his way. I was losing him. The fence was just ahead. "Wait, Blues," I said. "I'm a friend."

He stopped. All was silent except for the sound of my own panting. He turned toward me, at last, his hands clenched at his sides. "How do you know who I am?" he said.

"I'm Yuichi's wife," I said. "Thirteen years ago, I saw the video of your birth… er, activation. I've always wanted to meet you. Won't you talk with me a while?"

"You were watching me," he said, his voice shaking.

"I'm sorry. I just came to take photos of the house. I didn't know you'd be here. Like everyone else, I thought you were dead."

"You're a journalist, right?"

"Yes. I'm writing a story about Dr. Light's murder. Do you know anything that could help the investigation?"

"Yeah," he said. "But don't come any closer. Throw your camera to me first."

I did, and he caught it. He fiddled with it for a few moments and threw it back. "If you're my friend," he said, "let me stay dead. You have no proof you saw me, anyway."

I nodded.

"Tell the police that Dr. Wily's body is in this forest," he said. "I found it this morning. Hurry, Ms. Nishikawa. It's a hot day." He retreated, jumped the fence, and disappeared into a flash of light that shot upward into the sky.

I looked at my camera. Blues had deleted every photo of himself.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

From a payphone, I called in an anonymous tip to the Shizuoka prefectural police. On the dashboard netscreen of my rental car, I watched the results unfold as I drove toward the city.

"We've just received word of an important development in the Dr. Light case," the reporter said. "Police are now searching the area around Dr. Light's home. But, they won't yet tell us exactly what they're searching for. We'll keep you posted."

Two hours later, sweating, exhausted, and wearing the same clothes as yesterday, I found myself crowded with a horde of reporters in front of the Shizuoka police headquarters. The police chief, his face dour, stepped before the microphones and cleared his throat.

"I can now confirm," he said, "that the body discovered outside Dr. Light's property earlier this morning is that of Dr. Albert Wily.

"I can also confirm that when Dr. Light's body was removed from his house yesterday, two andoids, damaged beyond repair, were also removed. Judith Sorensen, Dr. Light's colleague and executor of his estate, identified one of them as the world-famous Rockman; another, as Roll."

A collective gasp went up from the crowd, and the reporters began screaming out their questions.

"Mr. Taniyama, what is the current status of the forensics investigation? Do you know what killed Dr. Light and Dr. Wily?"

"Mr. Taniyama, is it certain that Rockman can't be repaired? Has any robotics scientist other than Dr. Sorensen made that assessment?"

"I'm afraid I have nothing more to tell you now," the chief said. "Obviously, this is a story that many people care about, but we have a long investigation ahead of us. We will let you know more details as they emerge."

I lowered my camera. I was feeling lightheaded. Something wasn't right. Rock and Roll were dead, but Blues, whom I'd long thought to be dead, was alive.

"You have no proof you saw me, anyway," said the voice of Blues in my head.

I messaged Yuichi: "Press conference. Is Judith with you? I need to talk with her."

Yuichi replied instantly. "She needs to talk with you too."

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

That afternoon, I heard a rhythmic knocking at my hotel room door.

It was her.

"It's so good to see you again, Kaoru. Though, I wish we could be meeting under different circumstances." Judith bent down, drew me in close and gave me a peck on each cheek as I stood there, flummoxed. Despite the warm smile on her face, her eyes were puffy and her makeup in a mess. She smelled like perfume.

"Come in," I said. "By the way, where is Yuichi?"

"He's gone ahead," Judith said, and pulled a tissue from her pocket. "To Russia."

"Um, pardon me?"

Judith sat down on the edge of the bed. "Sakhalin Island, to be exact. Tom had a good friend there by the name of Ivor Cossack. I'm sure you've heard of him."

"Dr. Wily kidnapped his daughter a few years ago," I said. "Rock saved her."

"Yes. He's going to hold a private memorial service, and you're invited to come along with us."

I took my voice recorder from my pocket and sat down next to Judith. "Wait," I said. "Before we talk about that, you need to tell me about Rock and Roll. Where are they?"

"Of course," she answered. Her eyes were watery. "They were found in the same room as Tom. As you know, I was asked to identify them. Their faces were intact enough. I'm sorry," Judith said, and was overcome with emotion. I put my hand on her shoulder to steady her. She dabbed at her eyes with the tissue. "Put your voice recorder away, please, Kaoru," she said. "Everything I'm going to say next is off the record. As Yuichi's wife, you have a right to know, but it's for your ears only."

I did as she asked.

"Tom and I were very close," she continued, cradling the tissue in her hands. "We were partners and friends, and after Catherine died, we were sometimes more than friends. I'm going to miss him dearly.

"Rock and Roll were not just a scientific interest to me. I loved them as much as I love my own grandchildren. Tom downplayed their sentience to the public in order to keep them safe. The truth is, they were as alive as you or me. Many people have suspected it. They were right.

"Yes, it's okay for you to know now: Tom created Rock and Roll using the same programming we, with your husband's help, refined during the Jinsei Project."

I wanted to hug Judith, but I couldn't move. My hands were shaking in my lap.

"I apologize," Judith said. "Yuichi should have been the one to tell you that."

"Why couldn't I know until now? Why the big secrets? And who, besides Dr. Wily, did Rock and Roll need to be kept safe from?"

"From the people with yen signs in their eyes," said Judith. "Please understand: Tom, Albert, Yuichi, and I, everyone involved in the Jinsei Project, all became liars and withholders. First, it was because Nurtech demanded secrecy. It wanted to protect its product. The company was generous in its funding, and we had to comply.

"After Blues was completed and finally walking among us, we had a change of heart. We socialized him, got to know him, got to like him. The time was coming when we would have to hand over a copy of his code to Nurtech, and we had no idea what the company planned to do with it. Nurtech said that part wasn't our business. We realized we had done something terrible.

"We'd created a being with human levels of reasoning, feeling, and moral sense—and zero legal rights. Nurtech was expecting to profit. How?—if you use your imagination, a few ideas may come to mind. In all those years, we'd never even thought about it."

"What happened to Blues?"

"A couple weeks before he was to be revealed to the press, Tom realized there was something wrong with him. Blues was tired almost all the time; he couldn't seem to hold a charge. He complained of pain, but couldn't describe where it came from. After some searching, Tom discovered that the reason a serious flaw in his energy system. He began working on a way to fix it.

"All the while, Blues knew nothing about Nurtech. Tom couldn't bring himself to tell him. The night before the press conference, Blues finally learned the truth. He ran to Tom's lab, where the code was stored. Tom kept a few flammable materials there. There was an explosion. You know the rest of the story."

I nodded. Actually, I didn't know the rest of the story. Neither did Judith, it seemed. Blues was alive.

I heard his voice in my head again. "If you're my friend, let me stay dead." I had no idea what, or whom, he was hiding from.

Judith sighed. "We're the ones to blame for his short, confused life. We sold his happiness in exchange for the funding we needed to create him." She cast her eyes down at her lap. "We spent our whole lives bringing him into the world, but we never put any thought into how we would care for him once he was here. He was doomed from the start.

"In my dreams, I'm still chasing him down the stairs, reaching out to grab his arm before it's too late. But I never get there.

"Anyway, the Jinsei Project was closed. We didn't have the heart to try again, except… Tom had been keeping a secret from the rest of us. He had another copy of the code, which he used to create Rock and Roll. He was determined to raise them as his children, with the love and dignity they deserved.

"The media caught wind of them. Publically, as you know, Tom insisted they were just household robots, but not everyone was fooled. You don't create something that can sweat, itch, and cry, just so that it can wash your dishes and fold your laundry for you.

"Of course, Nurtech got involved. They demanded that Tom hand over either the code or one of the robots. Tom and Albert fought over what to do. Albert said he believed in keeping the code away from Nurtech at all costs. He stole Tom's copy, and then tried to erase Rock's and Roll's programming, which in effect would have killed them. Tom stopped him in time. That was the end of their friendship.

"Albert reprogrammed some of Tom's other robots, which he had built in the past, and set them loose to wreak havoc. He hoped that Tom would be blamed, and the government would rush in to destroy Rock and Roll in case they too were dangerous. As you know, Rockman appeared shortly after to put things right. He became a beloved public figure, which forced Nurtech to give up its claim on him.

"Tom had realized the only way to protect them was to hide them in plain sight. Well, it worked for a decade at least.

"Now, Kaoru," she said, "We'll go tonight. Cossack, his daughter, and Yuichi are waiting for us. You want to go, don't you?"

"To Russia?" I said. "But, I didn't bring my passport."

Judith opened her bag, and after some digging pulled out my passport and placed it in my hand. "Yuichi is one step ahead of you," she said. She managed a tight-lipped smile. "You'll be the only journalist allowed. We want you to be the one to tell this story." She glanced down at her netphone, and stood up. "This is rude of me, but I've got to go now."

Again, something wasn't right. I pulled at her hand. "Wait a minute. What killed them, anyway?"

"That's what I hope to find out," she said. "The police have just found Dr. Wily's lab. They want my opinion about something. The answer is in there somewhere. Pack your bags, Kaoru. You'll hear from me later," she said, and with long strides hurried toward the door.

I sat motionless for a few minutes. When I finally got up, my first act was to turn on the netscreen, where the news headline read: "Rockman gone: the nation mourns."

The idea popped into my head that I should follow Judith. I grabbed my purse, opened the hotel room door, and made a dash for a waiting elevator. When I got to the lobby, I approached a bellhop.

"Excuse me," I said. "Did you see a middle-aged white woman pass through here just now?"

"Yeah," he said. "I've never seen someone run so fast in all my life."

There was no trace of Judith in the parking lot. I realized the effort was hopeless, so I staggered back up to my room, feeling defeated. My eyelids were heavy. I remembered I had barely slept the night before. I collapsed onto the bed, but my mind was racing.

"Search 'Chopin,'" I said to the netscreen. "Play first result."

It was Op. 9, part 1. I closed my eyes and let the music sweep over me.

"I'm glad you're alive, at least," I said to an imaginary Blues.

I thought of my husband, on the surface such an ordinary and quiet man. "Yuichi, what part of his code did you write?" I said. "Damn you, how did you do that?"

Then my thoughts turned to our daughter, and I shut off the music and picked up my phone.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Judith knocked just after 11 that night. The sound was heavy and frantic. "Ready to go?" she said. "Our flight leaves in an hour." She was white as a sheet.

"Okay," I said. My suitcase was propped against the wall.

Judith closed and locked the door behind her. "Excellent," she said. "There's just one thing we have to do first." She took a small pen-shaped device out of her purse. It trembled in her hand.

"Are you all right?" I said.

"I will be. Kaoru, you have a PIT, don't you?"

"Yes. Why?"

She took my left arm in her free hand. "We have to deactivate it."

I yanked my arm away. "What?" I said. "No. I can't let you do that."

"I'll explain," said Judith. She took a deep breath. "You see, Ivor is a terrible recluse. His house is deep in the wilderness. He hates the press, and he doesn't want the Sapporo Herald knowing where he lives."

"The PIT is for my safety," I said. "Anyway, the Herald will know if it's been deactivated. They will think something's happened to me. My daughter will be worried."

"You can call Mirai and tell her you're okay. She just can't know where you're going, that's all."

I looked Judith in the eye. "This is crazy," I said. "I could lose my job over this."

"The bodies are there," Judith said. "Rock's and Roll's. Yuichi transported them yesterday. We're going to destroy them, to ensure no one will be able to extract pieces of their code from what's left of their CPUs. This is your last chance to see them.

"Now I know why they're dead, and Tom also. You want to know, but it wouldn't be right for me to tell you sooner than the people in Sakhalin who knew them and loved them. Come with us, and you can hear it too.

"Perhaps this will get you into some trouble with the Herald," she said, "but I promise you'll have a hell of a story to write when you get back." She checked her watch. "Decide quickly, Kaoru."

An image came to me of the key Blues had used to get into the back of Dr. Light's house. After the explosion long ago that supposedly killed him, the house had reportedly been torn down and rebuilt, locks and all. So, where did he get that key?

I realized I could not be the only one to know Blues was alive.

I cast a sidelong glance at Judith as I held out my left arm. I didn't know if I could trust her, but at this point, I would follow her to the ends of the earth.


	2. Ms. Nishikawa's Amazing High Wire Act

We changed planes in Hakodate, and arrived at Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk airport at 2 a.m. There I slept on the floor of the terminal until Judith shook me awake a short few hours later.

It was six in the morning, but already bright as midday. I squinted out the window at the runway, which was dotted with a few tiny turboprop jets. Everything was damp from the previous night's rain, but the sky was blue and clear. There were mountains in the distance.

In the public restroom, I brushed my teeth and ran a comb through my disheveled hair. Judith and I shared a breakfast of croissants and strong black tea. Then we boarded a turboprop jet bound for Smirnykh, shared with five other passengers. Below us, I saw nothing but mountains and trees.

In Smirnykh, we took one of only two remaining rental cars. We drove two hours west through forests and valleys without seeing another soul. I couldn't resist the urge to turn the netscreen on. After flipping through the channels, I found a station broadcasting another old interview with Dr. Light.

"Your late wife, Catherine Carr, was a neuroscientist. How much influence did she have on your work?" said the interviewer.

"Everything," he answered.

"Turn it off," said Judith. "This is going to upset me."

I apologized, and put on a music station instead.

It was cold. I wrapped myself in my muffler, and at some point dozed off again. When I woke up, the scenery was exactly the same. I sent a message to Yuichi saying I was on my way.

"I'm glad. The past 24 hours have been rough," he replied.

Judith called Dr. Cossack. "We're in a silver Honda," she said. "Sedan. Year? I don't know, sorry. Are we still allowed?"

We passed through a tiny village composed of a supermarket, gas station, and a handful of old wooden houses. After another half hour of forest, Judith turned left onto a dirt road. We came to a tall, stainless steel security gate with a camera mounted over it. We waited. The gate opened and we drove through.

The dirt road took us around the slope of a hill. On the other side we saw the ocean, grey and choppy, spotted with pieces of sea ice. The trees thinned out, and as we approached the water the forest gave way to a wide coastal plain. We felt the wind bracing against the side of the car. There, on a rocky promontory, Ivor Cossack's hermitage stood facing the ocean.

Three people were waiting outside the house. One of them was Yuichi. Judith stopped the car, and I ran out to embrace him.

"I know everything," I said. Then I gasped as I saw what the past two days had done to my husband: like Judith, he was haggard. His chin was dotted with stubble, his shoulders sagged, and his eyes were bloodshot. It was as though all the life had been sucked out of him.

"I'm so sorry," I said.

"I've wanted to tell you from the beginning," said Yuichi. "I just couldn't."

"Actually," I said, "there's something I've wanted to tell you, too: I've known a long time about the Jinsei Project."

"You have?" Yuichi took a step back. "How long?"

"Thirteen years."

"Thirteen years?" He gave me an incredulous look. "But, how?"

"After Mirai was born, I saw the video file that Judith sent you," I said. "You'd written the password on your hand."

Yuichi seemed not to remember that detail. He stared at me, sucking air through his teeth. "I see," he said at last. "After Blues died, I hated myself. I could have told you about him then, but I was too ashamed. I thought you'd think less of me. Forgive me."

I scrutinized his face for hints of deception. "I forgive you. Let's start over," I said. "I don't want any more secrets between us."

"I'm sorry you never had a chance to meet Rock and Roll."

"You had a part in writing their code," I said. "I'm sure they were grateful. I'm proud of you."

Yuichi managed a faint smile.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, you two," said Judith, touching each of us on the elbow, "but it's time for Ms. Nishikawa to meet our hosts. Kaoru, this is Dr. Ivor Cossack. Ivor, let me introduce Kaoru Nishikawa."

Dr. Cossack was a bear of a man: tall, broad-shouldered, with a strong jaw line. He had a neatly trimmed beard, and his black framed glasses were dramatic against his red hair. He clasped my hand in his, and although he was smiling, he gave me a hard stare that made me uncomfortable.

"It's good to meet you," I said, feeling myself shrink a little. "Thank you very much for inviting me to your home."

"Sorry about this PIT business," said Dr. Cossack. "I know what you had to sacrifice to get here. Thanks for coming all the same. I have a… limitation. Let's leave it at that."

"He'd look handsome in a tinfoil hat, don't you think?" Judith said. "And here's his lovely daughter, Kalinka."

Kalinka shook my hand with more warmth than her father. She looked a year or so older than Mirai. She had chin-length copper colored hair, and her features were soft and round. "Hi," was all she said.

"Hi, Kalinka."

"Let's get out of the wind," said Ivor. "We have tea and coffee, if you like. Perhaps our new guests need to rest a while. Then we have some business to deal with." He turned to Judith with a look of concern. "Are you all right?"

Judith was wiping back tears with her handkerchief. When the others noticed this, the mood changed completely. Both Ivor and Kalinka stared at her with looks of dread.

"Come on, Dr. Sorensen," said Ivor. "Please come inside and sit down for a while." He took Judith by the arm, and began to lead her toward the house.

"Wait," Judith said, holding the handkerchief over her face. "Before I tell you what happened to the Lights, I need to get my thoughts together first." She seemed to recover her strength. "I'm going for a walk."

She and Ivor exchanged a long look. Ivor nodded. "Follow the coastline north if you want some good scenery," he said.

"A walk?" I said. "Now?" But Judith was already striding toward the north, clutching her bag under her arm. The wind whipped at her hair, and pushed so hard at her slender frame that I feared she would topple over. She didn't look back.

I turned to my three remaining companions, searching their eyes for an explanation.

"Give her time," said Ivor. "Bad news can wait."

"For the past two days, she's been either helping the police with the investigation or sorting out Dr. Light's will," Yuichi said. "She cremated his body yesterday. It's been a lot of work for her, with no time to grieve."

I wasn't completely satisfied with Yuichi's reasoning, but I had to admit it made sense. Too tired to protest, I watched Judith shrink and disappear into the horizon.

"You've had a long journey, Ms. Nishikawa," said Ivor. "Is there anything I can get for you?"

"Yes," I said. "I'd be very grateful for a hot shower."

"Please show her where it is, Kalinka," Ivor said.

Kalinka nodded.

Yuichi smiled at me, and gave my hand a final squeeze before letting it go. "Dr. Cossack, I want to trouble you for another cup of coffee," he said.

"Of course," Ivor said. "Let's all just try to relax. We'll know everything in due time." But he seemed to be trying to convince himself as much as us.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I'd never seen a house like the Cossacks'. All the living spaces were arranged around Dr. Cossack's immense laboratory. There was a two-meter wide netscreen mounted on one wall, desks piled high with self-written manuals, freestanding stacks of motherboards, tools emerging from half-opened cardboard boxes, and at least twenty objects of different sizes and shapes concealed under sheets. In a corner huddled two immense Soviet-era mainframe computers.

"What does your father do with those?" I asked.

"Nothing," Kalinka answered. "They're mine."

I pointed to the largest of the covered objects. "May I…?"

Kalinka gave me a reproachful look.

"Doesn't your father design robots for the Russian military?" I said. "Weaponized drones, and things like that?"

She winced. "He did," she said, "but he quit. Recently, he's gotten into a more ordinary and… peaceful line of work. Improvements in GPS systems, and A.I. for more intuitive educational software. He does some engineering projects for the oil and gas industry here too. If you were hoping to see any of his old inventions, you'd have to go to the mainland. We don't keep them here."

Years ago, Dr. Wily had kidnapped Kalinka and coerced her father into using some of his "old inventions" to try to destroy Rock.

I followed her up a stainless steel staircase that rattled with our every step. At the top was a landing overlooking the lab. Here, Kalinka opened a door leading to a carpeted hallway, and the beginnings of something that resembled a real home.

I hesitated at the doorway, and looked over my shoulder at the lab behind me. Rock and Roll were here somewhere, perhaps under one of those tarps. Yuichi had brought them yesterday by air freight. I wanted to go back down the staircase, to ask Kalinka to show me where they were, but I stopped myself. The truth was that I didn't really want to see; but since I knew I would have to, sooner or later, I wanted at least to delay the moment for as long as possible.

"Where do you go to school?" I asked.

"Khabarovsk Technical College, but I don't go in person, of course. I take my courses over netscreen," she said.

"Do you have friends out here?"

"Not anymore. They moved to the bigger towns long ago. We still talk on netscreen, but I don't see them much."

Kalinka led me to the end of the hallway. On the other side was a small, cozy living room. She stopped, and turned toward me. I noticed that her eyes were misty. "Rock and Roll were my friends," she said. "They visited us a lot. This summer, they came almost every weekend."

"They did?"

She crossed her arms, as if she was cold. "A couple months ago, Dr. Light asked my dad to take care of them when he… died or became sick one day. He started teaching him how to do maintenance and repairs and stuff on them. Either Rock or Roll would lie down here on the sofa, and Dr. Light and Papa would look inside their head or chest and review how their systems worked. Roll did a lot of teaching by herself too. After they were finished, we would all play card games together, or tell stories or go out for a walk. Sometimes, they stayed overnight." She sniffed. "It was fun."

"I'm sorry about what happened," I said. "I heard you were close with them. Rock saved you from Dr. Wily, didn't he?"

Kalinka shook her head. "No, it was Bl…" She blinked. A nervous laugh escaped. "I mean, yeah, he did." Our eyes met for half a second before her gaze darted off to the left.

"Excuse me, but what did you…"

"Rock saved me," she said, and turned away. "Anyway, the shower is over here. Come on."

I followed Kalinka through another hallway, staring at the back of her shining copper hair. I opened my mouth to say something, but closed it again. I felt it would be out of place for me to cross-examine her. I decided to change the subject.

"Could we do an interview later, just the two of us?" I said. "With your father's permission, of course."

"Sure," she said.

We passed a bedroom, which I assumed to be Kalinka's, decorated with Renaissance art and music posters. With her back still turned to me, I took a look inside undetected. There was a wooden frame bed with a green duvet, a Persian carpet, a pile of books on the floor next to a crammed bookshelf, a desk, and a netscreen with a piece of duct tape over the netcam. A brown rucksack on the desk caught my attention. It seemed familiar, but I couldn't remember why.

"Here it is," said Kalinka. She opened the bathroom door and waved me inside. There was a large Western style tub with a showerhead attached. "This tap is for hot, and this is for cold. The water pressure's kind of weak."

She opened the linen closet and took out a fresh bath towel. On the floor of the closet, I noticed a plastic laundry hamper filled halfway with clothes. Near the top of the pile was a pair of blue jeans and a black t-shirt.

That's when I remembered.

"The toilet's the next door down, if you need it," Kalinka said.

"Thank…" I cleared my throat. "Thank you."

Kalinka left, closing the door behind her. With fumbling fingers I turned the water on, but I didn't get in. Instead, I opened the linen closet and picked up the blue jeans lying in the hamper. They were tattered boys' jeans with a hole in the right knee, too small for Dr. Cossack and the wrong shape for Kalinka. I also examined the black t-shirt, which was similarly out of place. There was no mistake: these were the clothes I'd seen Blues wearing yesterday.

I checked the pockets of the jeans, hoping to find a house key, but they were empty.

I put the clothes back into the hamper. There was one more thing I had to see.

I crept toward the bathroom door and listened for the sound of footsteps in the hallway. Peering out, I saw no one. Kalinka's bedroom door was now closed, but the space beneath it was dark. Feeling confident that she wasn't there, I tiptoed across the hall and went in.

The rucksack was there on the desk, open. Next to it, arranged neatly, were two thick photo albums, a handful of dog-eared spiral notebooks, yellowed with age, and a clear plastic box full of disks.

I picked up one of the albums and flipped through it. The first few pages were filled with photos of a little South Asian girl smiling in various places around London: one on the steps of Westminster Abbey, another on the Tower Bridge, others in gardens, surrounded by flowers. There were family photos too, containing the same little girl and many other people I didn't know. One professional studio photo of the girl was labeled at the bottom in ball point pen: Catherine, age 8. She wore an orange salwar kameez and her long hair was full of braids.

Later in the album were photos of Catherine grown up, first alone, then together with a man who could only be a young Thomas Light. There were Catherine and Tom in cap and gown, standing in front of Waseda University. The two of them in hiking gear, above a sea of clouds, at the top of Mt. Fuji. Then, wedding photos. There was Tom in a lecture hall, Catherine in a white lab coat. One photo of Tom, Catherine, Judith, and Albert Wily, together with Yuichi in his twenties. Toward the back of the album, the couple appeared older, and there was a hint of suffering in their eyes. One of the last photos was of Catherine smiling in a hospital bed. Finally, a photo of a gravestone marked with her name.

I closed the album, put it back into the rucksack, and reached for the other one. At the beginning was a photo of Blues in a navy bath robe, unconscious on a table. I recognized the bath robe from Yuichi's video. At the bottom of the photo was that date: January 3, 2061. Then there were pictures of Blues with his eyes open, of Blues sitting upright on the table, supported by Albert, then of Blues leaning against Tom as he took his first steps.

After these were many candid shots: Blues alone in the garden, or sitting at the piano, or scribbling a picture, or listening to headphones; all with his face turned away from the camera, unaware. There were some photos of him together with Tom and Albert, in which he stared straight ahead but did not smile. Then there was him, Judith, and Yuichi together: he wore a yellow scarf and had a wry expression. That was the last photo in which he appeared. It was dated January 3, 2062.

Next were photos of Rock and Roll. There were no bathrobes, no lab tables, and no candid shots here. In every image, whether taken together or individually, they were poised, happy, alert. There was Rock tossing rice to birds in the garden, and Roll smiling in a sea of wires and tools, holding up her latest invention. There was Rock posing in his shiny blue armor, interspersed with cut-out newspaper articles about his good deeds. There was Dr. Light, Rock, and Roll together, all with happy faces. The last few pages were blank, and as I turned through them a sheet of notebook paper slid out, scrawled in big letters: "R+R+K, Remember what these are for. Dr. L. June 23, 2074."

I heard voices coming from downstairs. I put the album back into its place, half-tiptoed, half-ran to the bathroom, and shut and locked the door behind me. I was engulfed in steam. I realized that I'd better stop pressing my luck, so I got undressed and hurried through my shower. When I came out, Yuichi was waiting for me in the living room with a cup of coffee.

I didn't know what to say to him. I felt like I'd just come out of a dream.

"This is for you," he said, pointing to the coffee.

"Thanks," I said, and sat down on the sofa. I sipped the coffee in silence while, out of the corner of my eye, I was aware of Yuichi watching me.

"So you knew all along," he said at last. "If you knew what I was doing at Nurtech, why didn't you tell me?"

"Because I wasn't supposed to know," I said in a low voice, feeling my cheeks get hot. "Anyway, why didn't you tell me from the beginning?"

"Your job," he murmured. "If word got to the press, the project would have been in danger."

"I can keep a secret, you know. I do it all the time. It's called confidentiality."

Yuichi exhaled slowly, wiping at his face with one hand. "Kaoru, I'm sorry."

"Stop that. I said I forgive you. But, I admit, it's not easy." I leaned closer to him. "For you to go creating life without me… it feels like I've been cheated on." I jammed at his side with my elbow.

He smiled.

With a sigh, I put down my cup. Not everything was right between us, yet. "Yuichi," I said, "is there anything else you want to tell me?"

Yuichi nodded. "There are a lot of things. Stories about Nurtech, the Jinsei Project, and all the people involved, about Blues…"

"I mean," I said, and looked down at my knees, "something more… fundamental. Listen. Yesterday morning, when I was in Shizuoka, I…" My throat seized up.

"If you're my friend, let me stay dead," said the voice of Blues in my head. I remembered his clenched fists and shaking voice, the fear that was palpable even behind his dark sunglasses.

Yuichi was staring at me in expectation.

We heard footsteps in the hall. Dr. Cossack emerged, and his eyes met ours. "Please excuse me," he said. He pulled an upholstered chair in front of the sofa, and sat down across from us. "You have a teenage daughter. So, Ms. Nishikawa, does a closed bedroom door mean nothing to you?"

I was speechless. Yuichi looked at Ivor, then at me.

"Glad as I am to have you as my guest," he said, "You arrived barely thirty minutes ago, and you've already been snooping in Kalinka's bedroom. That's crossing a line."

"How did you…"

Dr. Cossack pointed to a corner of the ceiling, where for the first time I noticed a tiny security camera blinking down at us.

"Four years ago, my little girl was abducted from her own bed as I slept in the next room," he said. "Wily held her for a month. He starved her and threatened to kill her. A father doesn't forget that easily.

"Anyway, I believe I have a right to know what you were looking at in Kalinka's room. What was it?"

"Photo albums," I said, "of the Lights'. I found them on her desk." Something compelled me to add the phrase, "next to her rucksack."

Dr. Cossack nodded toward Yuichi. "Your husband brought those from the Light house yesterday," he said. "Their contents are no great secret. We were going to show them to you anyway. There was no need to snoop for them."

I turned to Yuichi. "Is that true?" I said. "You're the one who brought the rucksack?"

Yuichi gave me a strange look. "Of course," he said. "I went there to help Judith with some cleaning. We found some sentimental things, and decided that Kalinka should have them."

I crossed my arms, feeling my paranoia reach its apex. "Then, whose rucksack is it?" I said.

Dr. Cossack and my husband looked at each other. I thought I saw a flash of panic in their eyes.

"What does it matter whose rucksack it is?" said Ivor. "Aren't you more interested in what was inside?"

"It matters," I said. I stood, and started pacing, unable to contain my agitation. Dr. Cossack and Yuichi stared at me in horror.

"Kaoru," said my husband. "What is this all about?"

Just then, Kalinka walked in carrying a tray of tea and cookies. She saw the scene in front of her, and stopped dead in her tracks.

"Kalinka," I said. "That brown rucksack in your room: whose is it?"

"It's mine," Kalinka answered. "Why are you asking me that?"

I took the tray out of her hands. "Could you bring it here, please?"

Kalinka stared at her father, who scratched his beard in silence. After a few moments, he closed his eyes and nodded.

"Get the rucksack, Kalinka."

Kalinka vanished into the hallway.

I put the tray down onto the coffee table and stood in front of Yuichi. "If it's hers, then how did it get from here to Shizuoka?"

Yuichi said nothing.

Kalinka returned with the rucksack. I turned it on its side, and found the Cyrillic letters K-A-L-I-N-K-A spelled vertically in black iron-on patches.

"Ms. Nishikawa, I'm losing my patience for this," said Dr. Cossack. "You'd better get to the point."

"Don't speak to my wife like that," said Yuichi.

"Blues is alive!" I said.

All three pairs of eyes in the room were on me. "You knew," I said. "He was here yesterday. He teleported in. He brought the photo albums in this rucksack, which he borrowed from Kalinka. He changed his clothes. His jeans and t-shirt are in the laundry hamper in the bathroom."

Dr. Cossack stared at me, slack-jawed. "How on earth…"

"I know all this because I met him yesterday. I went to the Light house early in the morning to take some photos. I saw him go in carrying Kalinka's rucksack. I watched him through the window. He played Chopin on the piano. When he came out, he saw me. He ran and I chased him. I told him who I was and he talked with me for a while. He told me where Dr. Wily's body was. He asked me to tell the police.

"He also asked me not to tell anyone he's alive, but since you already know that, I don't see the harm in telling you."

I turned to my husband, who had buried his face in his hands, and was now peeking out at me through the gaps in his fingers. "Yuichi," I said, "I have nothing against the Cossacks. They don't know me, and they don't owe me anything. But you have to stop lying to me. I'm not your enemy, I'm your wife."

Tears welled up in my eyes. "Stop lying to me, Yuichi. Stop lying, dammit!"

Yuichi bent his head down toward the floor. Dr. Cossack looked at Kalinka.

"He didn't tell me someone saw him," Kalinka said. "If I'd known, I would have been more careful. I didn't know he found Wily's body, either."

Dr. Cossack turned toward me, leaned back in his chair, arms crossed, and sighed. His face softened. "So you're the one who called in the tip about Wily's corpse," he said. "Thank you. It's helped us more than you can imagine."

"Blues is nearby, isn't he?" I said. "Judith didn't go for a walk. She went to see him, right?"

"You're not exactly correct," said Yuichi, lifting up his head. "Blues was here yesterday and the day before that, but we don't know where he is right now."

"He comes and goes as he pleases," said Ivor. "Even at a time like this."

"Wait," I said, "Then Judith…"

"Judith went to tell Rock and Roll how their creator died," said Ivor. "They've been camping on the beach, a little north of here, since they first learned he was dead. We asked them to stay there for the duration of your visit. But now, I suppose, they might as well come back."

My mouth dropped open. When I managed to close it again, I couldn't hold back a smile. It was mirrored by Kalinka, Yuichi, and then, begrudgingly, by Ivor.

"Rock and Roll are all right?" I said.

"Relatively speaking," said Ivor. "They're safe. That's what's important."

"But, the bodies. Yuichi…"

"They're fakes," said Yuichi, "created by Dr. Light, and found in the same room with him where he died."

"The real Rock, Roll, and Blues were here at the time Dr. Light was murdered," said Ivor.

"I don't understand," I said.

"We don't understand it all, either," said Ivor. "We just know that Dr. Light intended to fake their deaths. He knew they were in danger and their only hope was to hide here. As far as we know, whatever or whoever killed Dr. Light is still out there somewhere. When Judith comes back, we'll have some answers at last.

"And now, Ms. Nishikawa, we come to the purpose of your visit." Dr. Cossack pointed at the sofa. "Please be seated next to your husband."

I sat down. Yuichi's smile was gone.

Dr. Cossack cleared his throat. "We invited you to come here so you could take photos of the fake bodies, listen to our lies, and give the world some proof that Rock and Roll were destroyed, all while being none the wiser. That would have been the easiest course for you, but it's not going to happen that way now.

"You're still going to publish your feature, but it will be our version of the truth, not yours," he said. "You'll let me edit the final draft. You won't leave here until you've submitted it to the Sapporo Herald. Give me your passports, the keys to your rental cars, and your phones, please. Yuichi, that includes you. Ms. Nishikawa, I'll also need to take your camera. "

He leaned in so close that I could feel his breath on my neck, and peered at me over the top of his black framed glasses. "And you must swear never to tell another living soul what you know, or that you were ever here."

Yuichi put his hand over mine. "Swear, Kaoru," he said. "Please."

"All right, I swear," I said.

"You can call your daughter, of course. Tell her you're safe and give her an alibi. I will treat my prisoners kindly. None of this is your fault."

Kalinka clutched the rucksack to her chest as she watched Yuichi and I shift in our seats. "Sorry," she said in a small voice.

Ivor took his phone from his pocket and dialed. He put it up to his ear. "Dr. Sorensen," he said. "Please tell them they can come back when they're ready. Ms. Nishikawa's already figured it out, so we're going to proceed with plan B."

Dr. Cossack turned to me. "I hope, for their sake, you're a better liar than we are."

He shut the netphone, and the room was enveloped in silence.

There was a wry smile on Kalinka's face. It was eerily similar to the smile Blues wore in his last album photo. "Tea?" she said.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Judith returned an hour later, winded and wild-haired. Her eyelids were puffy. Before coming through the front door, she spent a few minutes scraping the mud from her boots.

"I came back by myself," she said. "Rock and Roll need more time. They will be here before long." She looked at Ivor. "That was one of the hardest things I've ever done."

"I know the feeling," said Ivor.

"Are they all right?" Kalinka said.

"They have courage," said Judith. "And they have each other, and us. But it's not easy. They know that Tom must have suffered." She went a little weak in the knees. Ivor caught her by the shoulders, and she leaned against him as she pulled off her boots. "So, you've decided to become one of us," she said, looking at me with her bloodshot eyes. "Liars and withholders."

"It was decided for me," I said.

Judith winked. "Desperate times." She patted Dr. Cossack on the elbow. "See, didn't I tell you he was paranoid?"

Ivor laughed.

She gave my husband a scolding look. "Yuichi, look at the mess you've gotten your wife into. I said your secret life would catch up to you someday."

"Advice taken," said Yuichi.

"How did you find out, Kaoru, by the way? I thought our cover story was airtight."

I told Judith about my chance meeting with Blues. As she listened, her expression turned dour. She turned her gaze to Kalinka.

"That was reckless of him," she said.

"I asked him not to go," said Kalinka.

"He should listen to you more often."

We went together into the kitchen. Dr. Cossack and Kalinka had prepared a simple lunch of sandwiches and tea. We ate in silence, except for Judith, who was fidgeting in her chair. She stared out the window, pressing her thin lips together, and I noticed Yuichi casting anxious glances at her. As soon as we finished, she led us upstairs to the living room with her heavy bag under her arm. She sat on the sofa, and we arranged a circle of chairs around her.

"I have a lot of things to say, but none of them will get the full time and attention they deserve right now. You'll learn why in just a minute."

Judith put her bag on the floor, and lifted a small urn out of it. She placed the urn on the coffee table. "This," she said, "contains some of the ashes of my colleague and dear friend, Thomas Light. I've put the rest of his remains in his mother's family grave in Shizuoka.

"Ivor, I know this is not your custom, but Rock and Roll want to keep this in your home, in their butsudan, their family shrine, which I'll have sent to you from Shizuoka. There's an urn with Catherine's ashes there. It was Tom's wish for his ashes to be mixed with hers."

"All right," said Ivor.

"And now, we come to what killed him, and Albert, in the first place." Judith reached into her bag, pulled out an unmarked video disk, and placed it on the table next to the urn. "Yesterday, when I went to Albert's lab, I found this video. It was filmed the day before he and Tom died. I have watched it, but I don't recommend that you do. It's proof of a third victim." She paused. "Forte."

Kalinka raised her head.

"Did you ever meet him?" said Judith.

"No," said Kalinka. "But I knew of him."

Judith nodded. "At the start of the video, Forte has been locked in a small room. He's angry. He's pacing and shouting to be let out. Then, the door opens and someone comes in. It's another android, but tall, in red armor, and very strong and fast. Forte barely has a chance to defend himself. Within half a minute, he's dead."

"Wait," I said. "Was Forte another sentient robot? How many are there?"

"I'm getting to that," said Judith. "You already know the first three. Forte was the fourth. Albert created him using the copy of the code he stole from Tom. Forte spent his entire life under Albert's thumb. The thing that killed him, and Tom and Albert too, I believe, was the fifth."

Judith's eyes met Yuichi's. "The code that we developed at Nurtech gives an android emotions, a subjective human consciousness, and free will," said Judith. "This fifth android has the first two things on the list, but not the third. That's madness."

Yuichi stared at Judith. "Does that mean," he said, "that Albert figured out a way to edit the code? We thought that was impossible."

"We hoped it was, at least," said Judith. "But I found the notes he kept about a program he developed, a virus, that could take away free will and replace it with Albert's own directive. I believe he created the fifth android, then infected it with this virus."

"So then, he told it to kill the Lights?" said Ivor.

"Basically," said Judith. "Well, at least I think so."

"But, something went wrong," said Kalinka. "It killed Dr. Wily too."

"Yes," said Judith. "I don't have an explanation for that, yet. Anyway, about those notes."

She produced a heavy white binder from her bag, and heaved it onto the table. It was filled with photocopied pages of Albert's angular handwriting. "Yuichi and I will share the original," she said, "and this copy is for you, Ivor. We will need to study this.

"Right now, there is no cure. Perhaps, if we collaborate…" Judith sighed. She turned to Dr. Cossack. "I have explained all this to Rock and Roll, but Rock is having a hard time accepting it. Ivor, you must never let Rock try to fight this thing. Even if by some chance he survives an encounter with it, he risks getting infected with the virus. If that happens, you might have no choice but to destroy him."

Kalinka's face went white. "How does the virus spread?" she said.

"It's similar to a biological virus," said Judith, "just with nanobots instead of germ cells. It can travel through the air a short distance, and linger on surfaces. After they leave their host, the viral nanobots are active for up to forty eight hours."

"Wait," said Yuichi. "Blues was in that house the day after Dr. Light was killed."

"I know," said Judith. There was terror in her voice.

"Dr. Sorensen, is there any chance…?" Kalinka said, and put her hands over her mouth.

"Yes, there is," said Judith.

"What does it look like, if someone is infected?" said Kalinka. "He was here yesterday, and he was fine."

"It takes time for the virus to start making changes to the code. A few days, at least." Judith reached toward Kalinka and put her hand on her knee. "Don't panic," she said, in a shaking voice. "The virus has a signature. We can scan for it."

Dr. Cossack rose to his feet and left the room without saying a word. Kalinka stared into space, her mouth ajar, then got up and ran after him. "Papa?" she said. "What are you doing?"

Yuichi, Judith and I followed them into the lab. Ivor was standing at the netscreen, typing furiously.

"I can't let Blues just teleport in here," he said. "He can come through the gate like everyone else. But he'll have to submit to a scan if he does."

When Ivor was finished, he glanced at the live security camera footage displayed on a smaller computer next to his netscreen. Finding nothing unusual, he knelt down and entered a combination into a safe under the desk. The safe opened, and he took out a pistol and put it into the pocket of his trousers.

Kalinka howled in protest.

"This is the best I can do," said Ivor. "There's a chance I will need to use it. Right, Dr. Sorensen?" He had the face of a man who had just been kicked in the stomach.

"You take your promise to Tom very seriously," said Judith, staring down at the pistol. "And I know how much you care about them. But you never expected it to be this hard."

Kalinka covered her eyes and ran out of the room. Judith went after her.

I watched them go, but my attention was drawn to something else. On the top left corner of Ivor's security monitor, two tiny figures came into view, making their way toward us along the shore. Between them, they carried the pieces of a disassembled tent.


	3. Opus 27, Part 2

"Dr. Sorensen, come quickly!" said Ivor.

Judith reappeared at the top of the landing. "Ivor, your daughter is crying," she said.

"Rock and Roll are coming back," said Yuichi. "Is it safe for them to be here? Could Blues have brought some viral nanobots from the house with him on his clothes or Kalinka's rucksack? Should we phone them and tell them to stay where they are?"

"It's been more than two days already," said Judith. "They can come in."

"All right," said Ivor with a sigh. "I'm going to talk to Kalinka."

"At least take that gun out of your pocket first," said Judith. "You've scared her enough."

Ivor placed the gun on the desk so that it pointed toward the wall. "I trust you to hold on to this while I'm gone," he said to Judith.

Judith came down the steps with a heaviness in her stride. "Me too," she said. She stood next to the gun, but did not touch it.

Ivor scaled the staircase and disappeared.

Judith's eyelids sagged. She looked at Yuichi, then at me, and for the first time I detected panic in her eyes. She turned to the security display on Dr. Cossack's desk and watched as the two figures trudged along the beach. Then, her gaze lingered on the view of the dirt road in front of the security gate, which was devoid of activity. Her trembling hand hovered over the gun for a moment before she pulled it away. I saw a change come over her; her hand formed into a fist, which she smashed onto the desk. Then, she let out an animal growl, which grew into a scream.

Yuichi leapt forward to put his arm around her shoulder. "Dr. Sorensen," he said. "Here, a chair. Have a seat, please."

"I don't need to sit down," said Judith. "I need to know that Blues is safe."

"You told us not to panic, didn't you?"

"I did," said Judith, and took a deep breath. "We shouldn't panic."

"Let's think in terms of probability, then," said Yuichi. "What are the odds that Blues is all right?"

"Four to one, perhaps." she said. "But anyone's guess is as good as mine. Kaoru, you saw him at the house. Did he go into the basement, where Tom was killed?"

"I don't know," I said. "It seemed he visited many different rooms. But he spent most of the time playing the piano."

Judith closed her eyes. "To think, he's in danger because of two photo albums and a few minutes of sentimentality," she said.

"Anyway," I said, "can't you in touch with Blues, to find out how he feels before he tries to come in through the gate?"

"No. He's a bit old fashioned," said Judith. "He doesn't own a netphone or use a computer."

"How will we know if he has the virus?"

"If it's already started to modify his code, we will know when we see him. Otherwise, only a scan will be able to tell us for sure."

We heard two sets of footsteps on the staircase. Ivor and Kalinka came down together. Ivor was stone-faced. Kalinka's nose was red, and she dabbed at her eyes with a tissue. They stood next to us and watched the security monitor. Neither of them said a word about Judith's scream.

The two small figures on the beach had disappeared. "They're almost here," said Judith. "We've got to pull it together now."

My husband loosed his hold on Judith's shoulder. "What are we standing around talking for?" he said. "Dr. Sorensen, I'm going upstairs to get Albert's notes. Let's get started on a cure. We owe it to Blues."

Judith nodded. "Yes, we do."

Kalinka smiled, just a little.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I watched from the window as the figures of two children, one male and one female, trudged up the path toward the house. The boy wore shorts and a red cotton sweater. The wind swept his black hair on top of his head, and I saw the unmistakable protrusion of a cowlick. The girl was wearing jeans and a light blue windbreaker, and with her free hand she kept brushing her airborne strands of yellow hair out of her face.

Excited as I was to see them, my heart sank a little. Though I recognized them as Rock and Roll, they no longer resembled the happy, exuberant children from the netscreen interviews. As they walked side by side, they kept their eyes pointed downward at the path.

They kicked their muddy shoes against the ground, like Judith had done. Dr. Cossack opened the door for them. He took Roll's half of the tent as she removed her shoes. He then did the same for Rock.

They said nothing as they shuffled inside, looking dazed.

At last, Ivor was the one to break the silence.

"This is Ms. Nishikawa, Yuichi's wife," he said. "She has offered to help you. You can trust her."

They regarded me with mild geniality. Rock extended a handshake and Roll bent a little at the waist. Rock's hand was warm, but he had a faraway look in his eyes. Both of them seemed to be struggling to be polite. Considering the news Judith had just told them, meeting me was the last thing they were interested in doing.

I felt I had to say something. "I'm glad to meet you, and I'm so happy that you're safe. Please accept my condolences."

They nodded in reply.

Kalinka emerged from the lab, and hugged each of them in turn. "Do you need to recharge?"

They shook their heads.

"Where are Judith and Yuichi?" said Roll.

"Having a crack at that virus," said Dr. Cossack. "They want your help too."

"Of course," said Roll. As she unzipped her windbreaker, her eyes settled on the pistol in Ivor's pocket. She gave him a questioning look.

Dr. Cossack took a deep breath, but before he could say anything we heard a buzzing coming from Roll's pocket. She took out her netphone and gripped Rock's arm.

"Rock, look," she said.

"Another one?" said Rock.

"Longer than the first," said Roll. She held the netphone close. They read together, their faces illuminated by the glow from the screen.

Dr. Cossack leaned toward me. "They've been getting automated messages from Dr. Light," he said. "The first one was two days ago. It told them to stay here. That's when we turned on the news, and learned that he had been killed."

When Rock had finished reading, he crossed his arms and stared down at the floor.

"What does it say?" Kalinka said.

Roll was cradling the netphone in her hands like it was a precious jewel. "It's a message for him," she said. She turned to Rock. "Rock, can I read this out loud?"

"Yeah," Rock said, and shut his eyes.

Roll began to read.

"Dear Rock, by now you have probably learned about what happened to me. You may also know that Forte is dead too. I want you to understand that none of this was your fault.

"There is no possible scenario in which Albert would have allowed Forte to live. You did your best to help him. Some people are beyond your power to save.

"I also made my choice, and I am content. I kept my choice a secret from you so you wouldn't try to take it from me. I'm sorry that I lied to you, even though I did it to save you.

"You've been everyone's hero. I couldn't pass up the chance to be yours.

"Your days as Rockman are over. You're just Rock now. I'm very worried about how you are coping, and I hope that your friends are around to help you. Let them. Also, listen to your sister." Roll giggled. "Remember how proud I am of you and your courageous heart. That's what I was thinking of during the last few moments of my life."

Roll lowered the netphone. There were tears in her eyes. "Rock?" she said. "Are you okay?"

Rock continued staring at the floor.

Roll sighed. "Say something, please."

Rock looked up with an expression somewhere between defiance and despair. "What am I supposed to do now?" he said. "What about my own choices? I don't want to stop being Rockman."

"Dr. Light never really wanted you to fight," said Ivor. "He let you become a hero and a celebrity so that Nurtech wouldn't take you away. The whole point was to keep you safe."

"It wasn't the fighting that I enjoyed," said Rock. He looked up at Dr. Cossack, then at Kalinka. "Don't think I'm ungrateful," he said, "but I can't stay here. There aren't any people around, just seagulls. It's boring." He closed his eyes and shook his head, as if trying to make a retraction. "Sorry."

"No offense taken," said Dr. Cossack, crossing his arms. "But, like it or not, you have to stay."

"We've had time to get used to this place," said Roll. "We spent most of the summer here."

"We never thought we wouldn't be able to go back," said Rock. "Not even to visit. Not even…" He took a step toward Dr. Cossack. "What if there's an earthquake or tsunami or something? Can't I go and help?"

"No, you can't," said Ivor.

"But, as Rockman, I can dig through rubble faster than any human. If I'm not there, someone, somewhere, will die."

"If someone dies because you weren't there to dig them out in time, that's not your fault," said Roll. "That's exactly what Dr. Light is… was trying to tell you."

"You're supposed to be dead, anyway," said Ivor. "Judith told you about Albert's final creation. We don't know where it is or what it's doing. If it learns you're alive, it'll come after you."

"But what if it attacks people?" said Rock.

"Then you'll stay here and keep your head down. There's nothing you can do."

Rock clenched his fists. "I can't do that. I just can't."

"You have to."

"No!" said Rock.

Dr. Cossack took a step forward. His face was stern. "You don't stand a chance against that thing. It's much too powerful. You'll die."

Rock stamped his foot. "I don't care!"

"You don't?"

Judith and Yuichi emerged from the lab. "We heard shouting," said Judith. She looked at Rock and sighed. "Good grief, Rock, we already talked about this."

Without saying a word, Dr. Cossack lifted Rock from the floor and carried him into the lab, elbowing Judith and my husband out of the way.

"Hey! What are you doing?" said Rock.

Ivor's only reply was to tighten his grip around Rock's middle, and to quicken his pace. Rock twisted and turned, but he was unable to free himself.

"Dr. Cossack, put me down!" he said. He beat his fists against Ivor's chest, to no avail. As Rockman, he had destroyed robots a hundred times his size. As Rock, he was no stronger than a human child.

"Roll, help me!"

Roll trotted along behind but did nothing to help.

I had no idea what was about to happen. I grabbed Yuichi's hand. We ran after them through the lab toward a darkened corner where an object on a stainless steel table was concealed by a grey tarp. A knowing look came over Yuichi's face. Rock, pinched under Dr. Cossack's right arm, kicked and screamed the whole way.

"Ivor, aren't you being a little overdramatic?" said Judith, shouting as she ran after us.

"Just speaking his language," said Ivor. "Rock, there's something you have to see." With his free hand, he yanked the tarp from the table.

I gasped. There, side by side, were two contorted and mangled likenesses of Rock and Roll. They were torn open, covered in a tangled mass of singed and frayed wires. Their clothes hung off of them in shreds. Most of Roll's face was gone. Rock had been ripped apart at the torso, his two halves barely held together by a few intact cords.

I glanced at all the faces in the room. Except for Roll, whose expression was one of familiarity, everyone went pale.

"Here, Rock," said Dr. Cossack. "Is this what you want?"

Rock had stopped struggling. He dangled motionless from Ivor's arm, gaping at the objects on the table.

Ivor bent his head and spoke into Rock's ear. "Dr. Light intended for you to see this," he said. "It was a vision of your future, a future he died to spare you from. I, for one, am glad he did it."

Rock sputtered and began to cry. "Is this what happened to Forte?" he said.

"Yes," said Ivor. "But I'm not going to let it happen to you too. Do you get it now?"

Rock's cry became a wail that echoed throughout the lab. Ivor set him down gently, and he sank to the floor. Roll sat next to him and took one of his hands in hers.

Ivor knelt beside them. He removed his glasses, wiped at his eyes, and put them back on. "I tried to kill you once, Rock," he said, "before I knew what you were. Let me make it up to you. I promised Dr. Light I would protect you. He had confidence in me, and so should you.

"You've been in danger from the moment you were activated. First there was Nurtech, then Wily, then Forte, and now there's this new threat. We have all worked so hard to save your life, but no one has worked harder at it than you.

"Your code is beyond my ability to understand in its entirety, but I do know that you've set some of the parameters yourself through your choices and your habits. Standing aside while someone is in trouble goes against your own programming, doesn't it? It hurts you just to think about it.

"It would not be enough, for Dr. Light or for anyone in this room, merely to keep you alive. We also want you to be happy. I'm not asking you to stay in this house, on this island, forever. You have options, and you have a lot of life ahead of you. If helping people is what you need to do, then we'll find a way. Have patience."

"I want to go home and see Dr. Light again," said Rock.

"He's gone," said Roll. "That's bad enough, but I couldn't stand to lose you too."

"He's gone, but you're still here, Rock." said Ivor. "Let's keep it that way for a long time. All right?"

Rock continued to cry, but he nodded in understanding. Roll smiled. "Thank you," she said to Dr. Cossack.

I remembered the crowds in Tokyo, the candlelit vigils, the handmade signs, and the hopeful children. Then, I recalled that it was now my job to convince every one of those people that Rock was dead.

I was frightened. A part of me wanted to run away, but I knew how important the task was, and there was no way for me to escape. I understood my part in the plan. I was no longer angry that Yuichi had lied to me, that Judith had lured me here, or even that Ivor had taken away my PIT, my phone, my passport, and my camera. I wasn't worried about my position at the Sapporo Herald, or even about my daughter. I knew that Mirai, at least, was safe. It didn't bother me to know that, when Ivor allowed me to call her tonight, I would have to lie to her about where her father and I were and what we were doing. I was a prisoner, but at least a willing one.

Ivor stood, gathered up the tarp, and spread it over the table. The macabre vision was gone. "Someone should be watching the security monitor," he said. "Kalinka, please."

"Right," said Kalinka, and sniffed. She walked away.

"Yuichi, we have work to do," said Judith. "Roll, come and join us when you are ready."

"Okay," said Roll.

With a pat on my shoulder, Yuichi left my side.

Ivor and Roll helped Rock to his feet, and I recognized that it was my turn to go. "Dr. Cossack," I said, "I need something to write with."

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

We became absorbed in our work. Rock, for the first time in his life, had nothing to do, so he sat outside on the cliff and watched the sun set over the ocean. Kalinka decided it was best not to leave him by himself, and she went to join him. She took the rucksack with her.

"Not a word to him about Blues," I heard Dr. Cossack's voice echoing from the lab.

"Are you kidding?" Kalinka said.

From the window of the living room where I was writing, I watched them sitting side by side with their arms around their knees. The sky, ruffled with clouds, was a brilliant shade of orange, and the bits of sea ice bobbed up and down on top of the waves. One of the photo albums was open on the ground beside them. Before long, I heard them laughing.

She's wonderful, I thought.

That night, as I continued to work, Rock came in carrying a futon and a pillow. He wore a white t-shirt and track pants. The rucksack was slung over his shoulder. "Hi, Ms. Nishikawa," he said.

"Hi," I said.

"I'm tired. May I sleep here?"

"Of course."

He put the futon on the floor, but didn't lie down. His eyes lingered around something on the coffee table, and I realized with great embarrassment that it was the urn containing some of Dr. Light's ashes. It had been left there all day, but without a butsudan no one could think of any more suitable place to put it.

Rock looked at me, and again at the urn. I didn't have to tell him what it was. He regarded it with an air of unreality. It was then that I understood his feelings. Judith, as executor of Dr. Light's estate, had taken care of everything: the murder investigation, the lawyers, the will, the cleanup of the house, the cremation of the remains, the partial burial at the family grave in Shizuoka. Rock and his sister, who had all the more right to be involved in the process, had been left out entirely. Even if they hadn't had to play dead, without any legal status there was not much they could do anyway. Decisions were made without their consent or knowledge. One day they were told their creator had died; the next, his ashes appeared in an urn on a table. They lived a shadow life.

"Rock," I said, pointing at the urn. "Do you want to look inside?" Morbid as the question was, I felt it was exactly what he needed.

He nodded.

"Are you scared?"

He stared at the urn with a blank expression. "No."

I waved him toward me. He sat on his knees in front of the coffee table, and looked at me in expectation.

"You should be the one to open it, not me," I said.

He removed the lid. Ashes, that's all they were. They were grey, and sparkled slightly in the lamplight. They could have been anything: the remains of an animal, or a tree, or a pile of leaves. There was nothing about their appearance that conveyed suffering or sadness.

Rock stared at the ashes for a long time. The expression on his face was almost like relief.

"We didn't even get to say goodbye to him," he said. "Even though he knew he was going to die. He brought us here a few days ago, as usual. Then, he suddenly left. He said he had business to do on the mainland, something about getting fake Russian passports for us." He blinked down at the urn. "We didn't know he'd gone all the way back to Shizuoka, or what was… waiting for him." His voice went quiet. He seemed to be forcing himself to put his words together. "I feel… betrayed."

"He didn't tell you because he knew you would try to help him, right?" I said. "It seems you loved each other very much."

Without a word, he closed the lid, opened the rucksack, took out a photo of Dr. Light from one of the albums, and stood it up against the urn.

"Do you have any candy?" he said.

"Actually, I do." I took two caramels out of my purse and gave them to Rock. They were Mirai's favorites, so I usually kept some with me.

"Thank you. He liked these," said Rock, and placed them in front of the photo.

"This is nice," I said. "What else should we put here?"

"Flowers. Hydrangeas."

"It's too cold here for hydrangeas."

"I'll look for something else tomorrow," he said. "Along the beach."

"That's a good idea. Roll can help you too."

Rock was quiet for a moment. With heavy eyelids, he continued staring at the urn. "I've seen lots of dead people," he said. "People who were crushed, or burned, or shot. Victims of Wily's robots. I hated it. But, I guess that's over now."

His words shocked me. I didn't know how to answer.

"Thanks for being everyone's hero," I said at last. "No matter what happens, you're still mine."

Rock smiled. He went back to his futon and lay down, then opened one of the photo albums and began flipping through it.

I returned to my writing, but continued to watch him out of the corner of my eye as he leafed through the pages. When he had seen everything, he picked up the first album and started again from the beginning. Soon his head began to droop. Within another minute, he had fallen asleep with his left hand clutching one of the pages.

As if by reflex, I turned on the netscreen in the corner of the living room and set the channel to NHK. As I expected, Dr. Light's death was still the top news story in the Japanese media. The headline at the bottom of the screen read: "Rockman destroyed. Dr. Light and Dr. Wily dead. Robot that killed them still at large." There was a replay of a second press conference with Mr. Taniyama of the Shizuoka police headquarters, filmed earlier in the evening, in which he tried to allay the public's fears about Wily's final work.

"I'm afraid that, right now, there's not much we can tell you about it," Mr. Taniyama said. "There have been no known sightings. We have no reason to believe that it's going to try to harm anyone else. Of course, please call your local police station right away if you see anything unusual."

I turned the netscreen off. The world it depicted seemed so far away.

Kalinka entered, saw Rock, and covered him with a blanket. She left the room and came back with a small cube-shaped generator and two cords, which she placed on the floor next to him. Then, she pulled back the blanket, lifted the top half of Rock's pajamas, and inserted one end of a cord into a tiny hole in his navel.

"It's still early," she said. "His battery must be getting low."

"Oh," I said.

I remembered a question I'd wanted to ask her. I tiptoed to Rock's side, pried the album from his hand, and turned to a page about two-thirds toward the end. I showed Kalinka the remaining blank pages and the handwritten note from Dr. Light: "R+R+K, remember what these are for."

"He put this note here only a few weeks before he died," I said. "Do you know what it means?"

"Yeah," said Kalinka. "R+R+K: well, that's obvious." She took the album and turned to the previous pages. She brushed her hand over the photos taken of Blues in his first year of life. "This album is incomplete," she said. "There aren't any happy photos of Blues in here."

"So, he wanted the three of you to complete it?" I said.

Kalinka nodded. "But it's not going to be easy," she said. "Blues hates cameras, and he's not happy much."

"I can see that," I said. I turned to the last photo of him, dated January 3rd, 2062, in which he posed between Yuichi and Judith wearing a yellow scarf and a sardonic smile. The three of them stood beside a snow drift, and a sprawling, tan-colored corporate building loomed behind them. "What about this one?" I said. "It was taken on his first birthday. He's smiling a little, isn't he?"

"That was the day he learned about Nurtech," said Kalinka. "It's a long story." She sat down on the floor beside Rock, cross-legged, and I joined her. "Blues had to spend the day there, to be tested for his self awareness and cognitive abilities. He hated it. Then, he met Judith and your husband for the first time. They were the only people at Nurtech who were kind to him. He was cold, and Judith gave him her scarf. It meant so much to him that he's kept it all this time, even though it's dirty and full of holes now." She paused. "The day this photo was taken, he ran away."

"He did?" I said. I leaned in closer. This was the part I knew nothing about. "What about the explosion in Dr. Light's lab?"

"It really happened, but it was just a cover," said Kalinka. "Blues was the first of the Lights to fake his own death."

"And everyone thought he had killed himself?"

"His creators thought he had," she said, "but they told Nurtech and the press that his death had been an accident. They were ashamed of how they had treated him, and thought they were to blame."

"Why?" I said. I looked down at the sleeping Rock, who had the peaceful expression of someone who knew beyond a doubt that he was loved. Then I remembered Judith's conversation with me in my hotel room in Shizuoka, in which she, in so many words, blamed herself for Blues's unhappiness.

Kalinka looked at me and scratched her neck. "I'm really sorry to say this, Ms. Nishikawa," she said, "but I think they were right to be ashamed, even Mr. Nishikawa. When they started to care about Blues as a person, it was too late." She looked away. "The things they are doing to help Blues now… it's great, of course, but it's like they are trying to redeem themselves."

"Is that why Blues isn't coming? Is he trying to avoid them?"

Kalinka shook her head. She looked down at the floor, and it took a long time for her to collect her thoughts. "No. It's not that simple," she said. "I wish it was. Blues likes a lot of people, including Judith and Yuichi. He just keeps them at arms' length. I'm the only one he trusts." She shook her head again, as if contradicting herself. "Well, I guess, he's been getting better lately, but it's taking a long time.

"Dr. Light always wanted to mend his relationship with Blues. He got close toward the end, but didn't quite make it. Last year, Blues needed to have something repaired. It was critical, but he wouldn't let Dr. Light do it. He wouldn't even let Roll do it. In the end, I had to do it. I was terrified that I'd make a mistake. Blues doesn't realize what he puts people through.

"That's why I'm so worried about him now. He's not going to want to be scanned for that virus. He hates being told what to do. I'll have to try to convince him. Right now, I'm the only one who could. But he doesn't always listen to me."

"Why is he like that?" I said. "Was his early life really that traumatic?"

"It's true that he got off to a bad start. But there's more. After he ran away, he lived in the woods by himself. He was mostly happy then. But Nurtech discovered that he was there, that he was still alive, and they began hunting for him. He was scared. He tried going back to Dr. Light for help, but Wily found him first."

I widened my eyes. All of this was new to me.

"It was horrible," Kalinka said.

"Wily was cruel to him?"

Kalinka nodded.

"Wily kidnapped you," I said, filling in the blanks. "Is that how you met Blues?"

"Yeah," she said. "He risked his life to save me. That's a long story too. Anyway, even after Blues escaped from Wily, he wasn't the same. He doesn't let anyone get close to him."

"Except you?" I said.

"No one can understand him," she said, "except me. You see, I've had my trust broken by someone too.

"I'm talking about my mother."

"What happened to her?" I said. "Is she dead?"

"No," said Kalinka. "She had some… problems, with alcohol and other things. She used to get angry a lot, and sometimes she hit me. She and my dad fought all the time. I remember hearing them screaming at each other. One day, when I was four, she just left.

"My dad thought it would be easier for me if he told me she had died. I believed it for years. We used to live in Moscow, but after she was gone, my dad and I moved here to the other side of the world. He said we could make a fresh start here, but I've been lonely most of the time.

"I found out the truth when I was ten. Last I heard, my mother was in rehab in Moscow. I don't know how she's doing now. She's never tried to contact me.

"Blues disappears sometimes, but at least he always comes back."

Kalinka stood, and wrapped herself in her cardigan. "I've got to go," she said. "Papa needs me in the lab. Thanks for listening."

"Sure," I said. "Thanks for talking."

Kalinka started to leave, and I got up and walked beside her. "I'll go with you," I said. "I need to ask your father for something."

It was time for me to call my daughter.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dr. Cossack brought my netphone. He stood there, waiting, as I dialed.

"Are you really going to stay here and listen?" I said.

He nodded. I followed his eyes to the futon on the floor where Rock was sleeping. "I'm sorry," he said, "but I have to be thorough."

Mirai picked up the phone. "Mom?" she said.

"Hi, Mirai. I'm so glad to hear your voice."

"Where are you? When are you and Dad coming home?"

"We're still in Shizuoka," I said. "We have a lot of things to take care of here. We'll be home in a few days." I cast a cautious glance at Ivor, and he nodded his approval.

"Your supervisor keeps calling us, asking about you," Mirai said. "He says your PIT isn't working. He's angry you haven't called to check in."

"Oh, really?" I said, trying my best to sound incredulous. "I didn't know. I'll get it checked out when I come back. They malfunction sometimes, I've heard."

"I'm tired of staying at Grandma's," Mirai said. "It's summer vacation and I can't see my friends. It sucks."

"Good. You can get a head start on your homework, then."

She groaned. I wasn't sure whether to be angry with her or to shed tears of gratitude. Her problems were so small.

"Your father's mentor has been killed, and you're actually complaining about homework?"

"Sorry," she said. "I'll do it. Whatever. I just miss you, okay?"

"I miss you too," I said.

We hung up. Dr. Cossack uncrossed his arms. "Forgive me," he said.

I began dialing again. Necessary as it was, I wasn't looking forward to the next call. "My supervisor," I said.

When I was finished, I handed the netphone back to Ivor. He put it in the pocket opposite from the pistol. He sighed. "Tomorrow, I'll give you back your camera," he said. "I'll need you to take some photos."

"All right," I said.

As he turned to go, he noticed the urn on the table, the picture of Dr. Light, and the caramels. "Who did this?" he said.

"It was mostly Rock's idea."

"I'll be right back," said Ivor. He left the room, and returned holding three shots of vodka. He placed one on the table in front of the urn.

"Do you drink, Ms. Nishikawa?"

"A little," I said. "I've been known to enjoy vodka, one in a while."

Dr. Cossack gave one of the two remaining shots to me, and kept the last for himself. "Thank you for everything," he said. "I hope you know that your stay here, involuntary though it is, is nothing personal. Let's drink to friendship."

I smiled. "To friendship."

We clinked our glasses together and drank.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Two hours later, Yuichi came in carrying Roll. Her limbs and hair dangled from his arms, and for a split second a memory of our daughter at a younger age flashed through my mind. "She just fell asleep at the desk," he said. Judith followed in after them.

I brought a futon from the closet in the hall, and placed it the floor next to Rock. As Yuichi set Roll down, the netphone slipped out of her pocket and landed with a thud on the floor. I picked it up and put it beside her pillow. Judith inserted the second cord into Roll's navel, and connected the other end to the generator. Then, she adjusted Rock's blanket so that it covered them both.

"She put in a valiant effort," Judith said. "We told her about Blues, and she didn't want to stop working."

"Have you made any progress?" I said.

Yuichi shook his head. "At the rate we're going, a cure could take years. We're not even sure how the virus works, yet."

Just then, Roll's netphone beeped. She stirred, but didn't wake up.

"What was that?" I said. "Another message from Dr. Light?"

Judith frowned. "What should we do? Wait until the morning?"

"What if it's urgent?" said Yuichi.

Judith knelt beside Roll and shook her by the shoulder. "Roll, wake up," she said. "There's a message on your phone."

Roll opened her eyes halfway. When she saw Yuichi and Judith, she came to life. She sat bolt upright on the futon, a look of panic on her face.

"What am I doing here?" she said. "I have to get back downstairs."

Judith put her hands on Roll's shoulders. "No, you don't," she said. "You've been through enough lately. You need to rest now. Anyway, look at your netphone."

Roll picked up the phone, held it close to her face, and read. A couple of tears formed at the corners of her eyes. She blinked a few times, and then put the phone beside her pillow. Then, she sank back down into the futon as if being pushed by an invisible force.

"Thanks for waking me," she said to Judith.

"What was it?" Judith said. "Was it from Tom?"

"Yes," said Roll. "But this time, the message was for me." She put her hand on the netphone and closed her eyes.

Judith laughed. "Wait, Roll. Don't leave us guessing. What does it say?"

"It's private," she said, with her eyes still shut. "Your cooperation and understanding, please." With a peaceful sigh, she was asleep again.

"Well, that settles it," said Judith. She looked at Yuichi. "Let's get back to work."

Yuichi turned to me before they left. "No snooping, Kaoru," he said.

I laughed. "Right," I said.

As it turned out, Roll's netphone was password protected.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

After writing for hours, I'd had enough. My exhaustion had finally caught up with me, and I felt like a wreck. I looked down at the two figures on the floor. Rock and Roll were sleeping with their faces pointed toward each other. The little cube-shaped generator stood on the floor above their heads, as though it was watching over them. I yawned, and made no attempt to stifle it. I closed the computer that Dr. Cossack had let me borrow and sank backwards into the sofa, ready to give up my own fight against sleep.

Then, I remembered Yuichi. I struggled to my feet, and walked zombie-like down the hall and onto the stainless steel landing overlooking the lab. Holding the railing with both hands, I descended the stairs.

In the lab, Ivor and Kalinka sat side by side at the desk, staring at the security monitor. Ivor was slumped in his chair, arms crossed, with his chin hovering above his chest. The grip of the pistol protruded from his pocket, and in front of him was a half-empty cup of black coffee. Kalinka rested her head on the desk with her eyes wide open, glued to the image of the security gate. A light at the top of the gate illuminated the surrounding road. No one was there.

"If I'm asleep when Blues comes," said Kalinka to her father, "you have to wake me up."

"I will."

There was music playing on the netscreen: Chopin's op. 27, part 2. I was certain that Kalinka had chosen it. It was beautiful.

Judith and Yuichi sat at a nearby table with Albert's notes between them, speaking in low tones. Judith nodded off mid-sentence; the motion of her head falling forward startled her, and she jerked herself awake. Yuichi was slurring his words. They looked only half alive.

"Yuichi," I said. "You're tired. There's nothing more you can do tonight. Let's get some sleep."

Yuichi didn't argue; in fact, he looked grateful. He took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes. He nodded toward Judith. "You too, Dr. Sorensen."

"Let Kalinka and me stand vigil here," said Ivor to the three of us. "We're better rested than any of you are. If a decision needs to be made, we will come and get you."

We shuffled up the staircase. As we walked, the nocturne playing on the netscreen came to an end. We heard Kalinka crying softly.

"Papa, I love him," Kalinka said.

"I know," said Ivor, with a voice full of dread. He exhaled slowly. "If it turns out that he is infected, Kalinka, please... promise me you won't do anything drastic."

"Promise me you won't, either," she said.


	4. An Investment in the Future

I woke looking up at a white ceiling. To my left, a set of lace curtains swayed in a cold breeze coming in through the window. I expected to hear cicadas screeching, but at first there was only silence, big and dark. Slowly, I became aware of the distant sound of waves, and I remembered where I was.

I sat upright. "Yuichi," I said. "It's morning."

Yuichi's right arm was flung up around his head. I watched as his chest rose and fell in time with the sound of the waves crashing outside, an odd synchronicity that made me wonder, for a moment, if I was dreaming.

Without my netphone, I didn't know what time it was. I guessed by the timbre of the light that it was still early. I decided not to try and wake my husband; for him, a full night's sleep was a rare indulgence.

I climbed out of the bed, put on a pair of jeans and a sweater, and tiptoed out the door. I passed though the living room. Rock was still asleep, but Roll and her futon were gone. The cord that had been plugged into her navel was lying unused on the floor. One of the albums next to Rock was opened to a page of grown up photos of Catherine Carr. I noticed a blank space where one of the pictures had been removed, and I soon discovered its new location, propped up against the urn. It was a wedding photo.

There was another new object on the table, which I recognized as one of the yellowed spiral notebooks from Kalinka's rucksack. It was opened to a page filled with refined cursive handwriting. It looked like a diary entry. It was dated November 27th, 2048:

"I have a special talent: I can stretch and condense time. I can pull its edges wide enough to cover any hole, or crumple it into a ball to save space. When I'm really hard up, I can even reuse it.

"In this way, I plan to live forever. Therefore, I plan to love you forever."

I turned to the next page. The entry was dated December 3rd:

"The only thing left is to assist in the slow dissolution of my ego. I figure it's going to happen anyway, whether I want it or not. Like everything, with practice, it gets easier.

"There were things I would have liked to do, once. Meet my mother, go farther in my career, have children… They're not going to happen, and no one is to blame. To have been a part of something greater than myself, together with you, is enough. I put all my hope into the future."

The last entry was dated December 20th, 2048, and it was written in a shakier hand:

"I can't be angry. There is no malice in nature. The cockroach that invades our kitchen every summer is not doing it to disgust us; it's just a fellow creature in search of water. And if I can feel compassion for a cockroach, how much more should I be able to feel for myself?"

I put the notebook back down onto the table. There was no name on it, but I knew it had to have been Catherine's.

Through the window, I saw the ocean. The sky was clear except for a row of dense gray clouds coming in from the west.

I found Roll in the lab. She was sitting in front of the security monitor, wearing a green dress and wrapped in Judith's flower print shawl, with the original copy of Dr. Wily's notes open in her lap. Ivor and Kalinka dozed with their heads on the desk beside her. Blankets were draped over their shoulders, and Ivor's glasses were folded neatly next to him.

"Good morning," I said.

"Good morning," Roll answered. "They fell asleep, so I took over." She looked irritable, and the effect on her childlike face was unusual.

As I came down the stainless steel staircase, she began fiddling with the lock on the safe under the desk. She produced my camera and held it out to me. Her face softened. "Ms. Nishikawa, there's something Dr. Cossack wants you to do," she said.

I took the camera. "What is it?" I said.

Roll pointed to the far corner of the lab, where the mangled likenesses of Rock and herself were being kept under the tarp. "Take photos of that," she said. "The world needs proof that Rock and I have been destroyed.

"Let's agree that you took them two nights ago in Shizuoka, when Judith let you into the house to have a look around. It fits our story."

"All right," I said.

She gave me an apologetic look. "I'm being so rude," she said. "Want some tea or coffee, Ms. Nishikawa? I'll get you something. This is my home now, and you're my guest." She looked at Ivor, then back at me with a wink. "Or is it 'hostage'?"

"You don't have to do anything for me," I said. "I can see you're busy."

Roll lifted the binder out of her lap and onto the desk. "Really, it's no problem," she said, sliding forward out of her chair. She smiled at me. It was genuine.

"I'd love some coffee," I said. "Black."

"Are you hungry? Want to eat something?"

"No thanks," I said. "I'll wait for the others."

"Watch the monitor for me while I'm gone, will you?" she said. "Blues is a morning person."

"Okay, I'll watch."

She darted off into the kitchen. Her yellow hair swung behind her as she went. Within a few seconds, I heard glass clinking and water boiling.

There was nothing of interest on the security monitor. I set the camera down. My eyes wandered downward to the desk, and then to the binder containing Dr. Wily's schematics, opened to a page near the end.

I smelled coffee. Roll returned, set the mug down on the desk in front of me, and climbed into her chair. She looked relieved to be back.

"Thank you," I found myself staring at her face. Although she looked like a little girl, her eyes were intense and full of purpose. "Roll," I said, "I`m an outsider here, and I don`t know much about what`s going on. Do you mind if I ask you some questions?"

She smiled. "Sure," she said.

"About this virus. Judith said something yesterday about a 'directive.' Did you figure it out last night? What does it do?"

Roll looked up at the monitor and wrapped Judith's shawl more tightly around her shoulders. She looked at me. "One thing," she said. "It makes its host want to kill humans."

I glanced at the notes, and then at her. The look on her face was grim.

"This wasn't supposed to happen," she said. "Our code wasn't meant to allow modifications like that. Only a few minor subroutines can be edited—which control things like temperament—and then only slightly, and only before activation. That's why, until now, we've been able to trust our own psychological integrity. There must be a loophole somewhere, and Albert found a way to exploit it." She closed the binder. "It's what I've always feared most."

"But the thing that killed Dr. Light… it also killed Forte, and thought it was killing you and Rock too," I said. "Three non-humans. Why?"

"We think it was confused, or coerced. The virus isn't the only explanation for everything it's done." Roll looked away from me. "Actually, we think Wily didn't intend for me to die that day," she said. Her voice became quiet.

"But that likeness of you, over there under the tarp…"

"It was untouched when Judith found it. Only Rock's was destroyed."

"Then, who…?"

She smiled a little. "Your husband, with a chainsaw and a blowtorch," she said. "I asked him to."

I was dumbstruck. "So, if you had been there when Dr. Light was killed, you would have been spared?"

"Not at all," she said. She looked down at the binder. "I would probably have been infected. The police would have found me, and Judith would have brought me here. And then, after a few days, who knows." She turned toward the two sleepers at her side, and her eyes settled on the pistol in Ivor's pocket.

I sat down next to Roll. I'd grown fond of her steady and quiet presence, and with great pain I tried to imagine the end from which she'd escaped. For a reason I couldn't comprehend, Dr. Wily had reserved the worst for her.

"Anyway, there's only one human I've ever wished was dead," she said. "I already got my wish.

"But, don`t worry too much about Blues, Ms. Nishikawa. Even if he has the virus, if we can just convince him to come in, he`s as good as saved."

"How?" I said.

"Because we`re going to find a cure," said Roll. "I know it." She smirked at me. "Especially now that I`m on the case."

I smiled, and breathed a little sigh of relief. She seemed so confident, and I had no reason to doubt her.

"Things didn`t go at all the way Wily planned," she said. "He died, and now we have this." She pointed down at the binder. "Perhaps, as a worst-case scenario, Blues will have to go to sleep for a few weeks, or months, while we finish analyzing this code. It`s too early to give up hope."

"By the way," I said. "In your netscreen interview, you said Dr. Light gave you directives to build things. What did you mean by that?"

"I lied," she said. "Those weren't his directives; it was education. The directives were my own."

We heard Judith's voice above us. Rock appeared on the landing, rubbing at his eyes. Judith came out behind him. She was patting his shoulder gently, and in her other hand she held her netphone against her ear.

"No, I'm afraid I can't agree to that," she said into the phone, as she and Rock came down the stairs together. "Although I understand that your feelings come from a good place, as a scientist I am interested most of all in the truth… and I just cannot allow… the spreading of misconceptions, especially if you intend to use public funds to do it. The anthropomorphizing of Rock has gone on long enough… Tom was clear about that. Rock did not have feelings like us…

"The children? No, that makes no difference to me. I've never understood why so many people think it's okay to lie to children…

"I don't mean to tread on the public's hearts here—and I appreciate that you feel strongly enough about this to call so early in the morning. I do apologize; I know he had sentimental value to many people. He did to me too. In the end, I must ask you to respect Tom's wishes. If I may make a suggestion, I think a statue, or a mural, would be more appropriate."

Judith closed her netphone and looked down at Rock. "I'm sorry you had to hear that," she said. "It was the Tokyo metropolitan government. They wanted to hold a public memorial service for you. There would have been Buddhist monks, and everything."

Rock looked up at Judith with interest.

"In the end, we will stick to our story," she said. "I had to say no. Although, it's nice to think about, isn't it? Monks praying for a good rebirth for you… How do you feel about that?"

"I wouldn't mind it, I guess," Rock said.

Judith ruffled his hair. "At any rate, it's premature," she said.

He smiled. For a minute, he seemed lost in thought. He turned to her again. "What happened to Forte's body?" he said.

Roll looked up from the desk. "I've been wondering that too."

Judith cleared her throat. "After the police removed it from Albert's lab, it was incinerated and thrown away." She sighed, and crossed her arms. "I'm sorry. There was nothing more I could do for him."

Rock and Roll stared at each other.

"He deserved better than that," said Rock.

"I know," said Judith.

"At the very least," said Roll, "we had something in common." It seemed, by the grimace she made, that she was trying to be charitable.

They reflected for a few moments. Then, Judith noticed Dr. Cossack and Kalinka, who were still sleeping with their heads down on the desk. She tapped Ivor on the arm, and he opened his eyes.

"You can go to bed now," she said. "We'll hold down the fort."

Ivor rubbed the bridge of his nose, and closed his hand over his glasses. "Thank you, Dr. Sorensen, but I'm not going anywhere," he said. He pulled himself up in his chair, and combed his fingers through his scalp. He put his glasses on, looked at Roll, and squinted at the security monitor. "Any sign of Blues?"

"Not yet," said Roll.

Rock took a step forward. "What about Blues?" he said. "Why are you all waiting for him? He'll just teleport in as usual, won't he?"

"Oh, that's right," said Judith. "You don't know yet." She took a deep breath. "Roll, it's time. It will be easier if he hears it from you."

Roll nodded. "All right," she said.

"Hears what?" said Rock.

With one final glance at the security monitor, Roll turned to Judith and Ivor. "Keep watch," she said. Then, she picked up my camera and placed it into my hands. "Ms. Nishikawa, those photos, please."

"Okay," I said.

Roll turned toward Judith and away from me. "You let Ms. Nishikawa take a look inside the house two nights ago," she said to her. "That's when she took them."

Judith nodded. "Got it," she said.

Roll stood up and ran to her brother. "Rock," she said, and tugged at his arm. "Come outside with me. I have to tell you something. It's about those photo albums… and about Blues."

After they were gone, I took a few sips of my coffee and got up too. With my camera in hand, I removed the tarp from the table and began to work. Ivor and Judith looked on in silence from the other side of the lab. I snapped several shots from different angles, both together and individually, of the destroyed likenesses of Rock and Roll. As I zoomed in for a close up of Roll's head, partially caved in and covered in an inside-out jumble of burnt and confused wires, Yuichi appeared on the landing. He came and joined me.

I pointed at the figure of Roll. "Your handiwork," I said.

"She asked me," said Yuichi. "If Rock has to play dead, she has to do it too." He scratched his neck. "I know it was necessary, but it was unpleasant, all the same."

I took a few final shots, and, satisfied, turned to my husband. "Have I really uncovered all of your secrets, Yuichi?" I said. "There's nothing else?"

"No, there's nothing else," he said. "The only thing left is for me to fill in the gaps for you."

"I feel like I don't know you, so how can I believe you?" I said. As I spoke the words, I realized they sounded curious rather than accusatory. In fact, I wasn't mad at him at all.

"Well, I guess you can't," he said. "In the end, I'm glad you figured me out. I feel… relieved."

Judith and Ivor, from the other side of the room, couldn't hear our conversation. It had been days since Yuichi and I had talked privately together, but to us it seemed like much longer.

I put the tarp back over the table. "What was Dr. Wily like when you knew him?" I said. "Back when he was kind?"

Yuichi looked down at the tarp, then again at me. "Now that you mention it, I don't think he was ever kind," he said, "but he was very funny."

 

We sat in front of the monitor in silence together, sipping coffee, when we heard a clap of thunder. Kalinka opened her eyes, looked at the screen, and gasped. She jerked herself upright.

"Don't worry," said her father. "You haven't missed anything."

"What time is it?" she said. She looked down at her watch. "It's been two days since he last recharged. If he doesn't come soon, he's going to start getting tired."

"No, Kalinka, not since you fixed him," said Ivor. "He has a few more days, at least."

"How did he get by before?" I said. "After he ran away from Dr. Light, I mean. He lived alone for years, didn't he?"

"He used to steal energy cells," said Kalinka. "Sometimes, he tried to earn money doing odd jobs, but it wasn't enough."

"Where does he live, anyway?" I said.

"He divides his time between a few different places, including here with us," said Ivor. "We know he stays a lot in the woods in Shizuoka, but we don't know exactly where. It's a mystery even to Kalinka."

He made a motion to turn on the netscreen. His finger hesitated in front of the button a moment before he finally pushed it.

The netscreen came to life with a newscast showing a live helicopter view over rural Shizuoka. Below, there was nothing but a sea of trees. The caption at the bottom of the screen read: "Still no sign of robot that killed Drs. Light and Wily. Shizuoka residents tense."

"Papa," said Kalinka. "He's still out there looking for Blues, isn't he?"

"Don't worry about that," said Ivor. "Blues knows how to stay out of trouble."

Kalinka gave her father a skeptical look.

Just then, Rock and Roll ran into the lab, wrapped together in Judith's shawl. Each of them was holding a small bouquet of wildflowers. A moment after they appeared, we heard raindrops splattering against the roof.

"Good timing," said Dr. Cossack. He looked carefully at Rock's face. "Are you all right?"

Rock looked shaken, but optimistic. It seemed Roll had succeeded in softening the blow. He nodded, and held up a fistful of flowers. "Can we borrow a vase?" he said.

"'Use,' not 'borrow,'" said Dr. Cossack. "And, anyway, this is your house. You don't have to ask."

Rock nodded again. He looked embarrassed at having to be reminded. In the moment, it seemed, he'd forgotten what the flowers in his hand were for.

"Come on," said Roll, and pulled at Rock's free hand. "I know where to find one."

They went up the staircase and disappeared. As we waited for them, we listened to the sound of the rain coming down in sheets. After a few more claps of thunder, they returned.

Judith motioned for everyone to sit down. "If you don't mind, I'd like to have a meeting before the humans among us eat breakfast," she said. "Now that we're all here, except one, we have some things to talk about."

We sat down. Rock picked the chair closest to the security monitor. With one ear turned toward Judith, he kept his eyes on the screen.

Judith reached down and pulled her bag toward her, which had been propped against one of the legs of the desk since the night before. She opened it, and took out a thin file containing a few documents.

"First, there's this business of Tom's will to discuss." She placed the documents in her lap. "Over the course of his career, as you know, he amassed a modest fortune. Once the house, and plot of land he owned is sold," she said, and cast a regretful look at Rock and Roll, "it will add up to a significant amount.

"Out of this sum, he requested that a quarter of it be put into a fund for Kalinka, which should be used toward her education."

Kalinka heard this, and nodded. Dr. Cossack, next to her, frowned.

"That's much more than the cost of her education will require," he said. "Too much."

Kalinka turned her head and gave her father a questioning look.

"Maybe it is," said Judith, sinking a little into her chair. "The rest of it is for her to do with as she wants. It's… a gift. Tom was fond of her."

Dr. Cossack crossed his arms. "It's not appropriate, and I don't like it," he said. "But I suppose I can't refuse the wishes of a dying man." He gave his daughter a stern look. "We'll talk about this later, Kalinka."

Judith's head was turned down slightly. "Have you decided where you will go to university?" she said to Kalinka, in a subdued voice. "And what you will do after that?"

"I have a few ideas in mind," Kalinka said. She gave her father a tentative glance. "But I'm not sure, yet."

Judith seemed surprised by Kalinka's answer. She raised her eyebrows, a gesture that didn't go unnoticed by Ivor. "All right. You still have time," she said. "When you weigh your options, know that money will be no object."

Judith turned to Yuichi and me, and seemed to regain her confidence. "There is something for Mirai in here, too," she said, and smiled.

"As for the rest, he left it to me," she said. "It makes sense, I suppose, considering the nature of our relationship. However, this part has to be understood in its proper context."

She put the will onto the desk. "By legal necessity, the main beneficiaries have been left out." She looked at Rock and Roll, sitting at Dr. Cossack's side. "They were expensive to create, and over the years they will be expensive to maintain. Aside from that, they deserve at least some material comfort after everything they've been through. That's why, Ivor, I'm giving you all of it."

Dr. Cossack shook his head. "I understand," he said, "but you should keep at least a little for yourself."

"I don't need it," said Judith. "There's a nice pension waiting for me in Europe. Tom wanted, and I want, for you to have everything. Think of it as an investment in the future.

"To start with, you might consider getting a piano."

Kalinka laughed, and cupped her hands over her mouth. Tears appeared at the corners of her eyes. "Of course," she said.

"Well, that's settled," said Judith. "I hoped Blues would have joined us by now. His opinion about the next topic would be valuable.

"Anyway, the night I went to Albert's lab, that binder full of notes wasn't the only interesting thing I found. There were other things, too, but nothing more interesting than this."

Judith opened her bag, took out a small cardboard box, and placed it on the desk. She carefully removed the lid. There were about thirty disks inside, each labeled with nothing but its ordinal number. "This is the copy of the code that Albert stole from Tom years ago," she said. "To my knowledge, the last one in existence." She pushed the box across the desk toward Rock and Roll. "Finally, it's going to its rightful owners."

They stared at the box in disbelief.

"I thought Dr. Wily would have destroyed it," Rock said. "It's what he always said he wanted to do."

"This means the last ten years of his life were completely meaningless," said Roll.

"You're right," said Judith. "He probably planned to destroy it, but was killed before he could."

"Is it complete?" said Roll.

"Yes. As far as I know, it's in its pristine state," said Judith. "I checked. It hasn't been changed or edited since before Blues was activated. You'll want to check it again more thoroughly, of course.

"I'm almost frightened for you, considering that this has brought its creators so much turmoil. On the other hand, no one but you has the right to decide what happens to it."

"No," said Rock. "If we're going to live together with humans, then humans should have a say too."

"All nine billion of them?" said Yuichi. "You'll never get them to agree on anything. At least give yourselves veto power."

"Not all humans have your best interests at heart, Rock," said Judith. "You know that. Nurtech is gone, but the kind of people Nurtech was composed of is very common. The world is full of them."

Rock stared down at the table. There was a look of recognition on his face, but he seemed afraid to acknowledge it.

"At least," said Roll, "over time, humans have widened the circle of empathy to include new groups—slaves, women, people of different colors and cultures, and the higher orders of animals. It's not crazy to expect that, one day, they will widen it a little more to include beings like us."

"A noble thought," said Judith. "That day is still a long way off, but I hope there's a chance you will live to see it."

"Wily thought that day would never come," said Roll. "I disagreed."

Yuichi leaned forward in his chair. "No one understands your own experience better than you," he said. "What it's like to live in your bodies and think with your minds. That's why you have to decide what happens to your code, not us."

"This human trusts you completely, at least," said Judith. "Destroy the code, or use it, or guard it: whatever you want. I know you will think before you make a decision—something that we humans failed to do. So far, this code has led to the creation of five lives…"

"Six," said Roll.

Everyone looked at her.

"Five," she said. The word shot out of her. "I misspoke."

"Misspoke?" said Judith. She leaned forward and narrowed her eyes. "About that?"

"I must be tired," Roll said. With a look of embarrassment, she waved her hand. "Please go on."

Judith looked askance at her. "Well…" she said. She cleared her throat. "What was I saying?"

"The creation of five lives," said Rock. He looked eager to help.

"Right," said Judith. "One caveat. If, someday, you decide that more lives are to come out of this, I won't be able to help you get them here. I'm finished. I don't trust myself enough."

"Me neither," said Yuichi.

Roll nodded in understanding.

"But, if you don't mind indulging me," said Judith, "I'm curious to know what you plan to do with it."

Rock and Roll looked at each other. They seemed tongue tied.

Yuichi smiled. "Maybe our young engineer has ambitions to carry on Dr. Light`s work," he said.

"No, definitely not," said Roll. She looked away. "At least not until a cure for Wily's virus is invented. And then, only if, by a long shot… I could do what we thought was impossible and find a way to make some modifications to the code."

Judith raised her eyebrows. "What kind of modifications?" she said.

Roll stared at the disks on the table, lost in thought. "If any new lives come from this, they will have to be more advanced than us," she said. "And by 'more advanced,' I don't mean more powerful—although power, sometimes, can help…"

"Interesting," said Ivor. "What do you mean by that?"

Roll didn't reply. With her brow furrowed, she was now staring in silence at the binder on the desk. A sudden change came over her face. She got up from her chair and went to it, turned it over, and began scanning the pages from backwards to front. Then, she ran to the photocopied version that Judith had made, which was sitting on the opposite desk. She opened the notes to a page near the back, and flipped wildly to the end.

With her hand resting on the ultimate page, she looked up at the ceiling and blinked, her mouth slightly open. Her eyes became glassy.

"Dr. Sorensen," she said. "These notes you brought from Albert's lab: is this all of it?"

Judith stood, and took a few steps toward her. "Yes, of course it is." She saw the look on Roll's face, and her eyes widened. "What's the matter?"

"There are several pages of code missing," said Roll. She flipped backwards to the second to last page. Her voice was trembling. "Here, at the end. It just stops abruptly. Did you notice that when you copied it?"

"No, I didn't," said Judith. "I just made the copies. I didn't look all the way through."

"Last night, we didn't read this far," said Roll. "We didn't see…"

Judith fumbled for her reading glasses, put them on, and rushed to her side. As she read over Roll's shoulder, her face went pale.

"You're right," Judith said. "I'll have to go back to Albert's lab and search for the rest. I must have missed something."

"No," said Roll. Her shaking hand turned to the final page. Instead of a continuation of a string of the virus`s code, it was a letter. In sharp black and white contrast, the handwritten words were ghostly.

"My dear niece,

"Please accept my condolences. I`ll be out of your hair from now on, but I`ve left this little token for you to remember me by. Even at this difficult time, I figured you`d appreciate some interesting reading material. At least it will make you think twice about reproducing.

"By the way, are you feeling all right? Or have you been, perhaps, a bit more aggressive than usual? When was the last time you ran a few maintenance diagnostics on yourself?

"Well, I think you get the idea. I win, little rabbit.

"Uncle Albert. July 12, 2074."

Roll's eyes darted around, as if searching for an escape. Then she bowed her head toward the pages, gripping the edge of the desk with both hands. She squeezed her eyes shut. "Dr. Light, help me!" she said. She glanced up, as if expecting to see him, but of course he wasn't there.

"Judith… I should have known… no hope…"

Judith opened her mouth, but nothing came out. She put her arms around Roll's shoulders, helpless to do anything else. Ivor, who had been watching with a confused look on his face, got up and stood beside them. Rock and Kalinka looked on, frozen. I guessed from their reactions that it was unusual to see Roll so distraught.

"He meant for you to find these notes, Judith," said Roll. "Remember, when his body was discovered by the police, how the coordinates to his lab were in his wallet?" She took her hands off the desk and put them in her lap. She appeared to be shrinking. "We didn`t think about it. But there had to be a reason.

"He must have known he was going to die. He planned it that way all along. And he meant for me to see this, and to realize, as I began to lose control of myself… that a cure would never be possible."

Dr. Cossack raised his eyebrows. "Are you saying Albert did all that, and even orchestrated his own death, just to taunt you?" he said.

Roll put her head in her hands. "I don't know," she said. "But in the end, his health was not good anyway."

"How do you know that?" said Judith.

Roll didn't answer.

"All right," said Judith, and heaved a sigh. "So it turns out there's no chance for a cure. Well, to be honest, that comes as no big shock. We already knew Albert was cruel.

"But what did you mean, dear, when you said 'no hope'? Albert was clever, but Tom was cleverer. Albert killed Tom and Forte, but he didn't get anything else he wanted. Rock is alive, you weren't exposed, and Blues is probably all right, too. We can't let reason be overcome by fear."

Roll nodded, her eyes still closed. She put her hands on Judith's arms and half-returned her embrace. At first she appeared comforted, but then a look of remembrance came over her, and she pressed her lips together as if stifling a scream.

Judith looked down at the note from Albert again. Slowly, she widened her eyes, and loosened her grip on Roll's shoulders.

"Roll," she said, and turned to look her in the face. Roll didn't return her glance. "What is this about `reproducing?` Does this mean what I think it means?"

Roll put her head down on the desk and began to cry.

"Oh, my God," said Judith. She swung around toward Rock. "Did you know about this too?"

Rock didn't say anything. His eyes were wide.

A minor coughing fit took hold of Ivor, and he turned away. For a few moments, we heard nothing but the sound of his coughing and Roll's crying. The two sounds, combined, would have been almost comical in another context, but not now.

I turned to Yuichi for an explanation, but he was at a loss for words. I didn't need an answer anyway: in my mind, I already saw the pieces coming together.

When Ivor had recovered, his face bright red, he sat down next to Roll and put his hand on her back. "It's all right," he said. "We're your friends, and you can trust us.

"Is it five, or six?"

"Six!" Roll lifted her head from the table, and a few strands of hair were stuck to the sides of her face. "We meant to keep it a secret, but I can't do it. Not after what we've learned just now… it`s too heavy… and it's my fault. Dr. Light, everyone, I'm sorry..."

"What could you possibly have to be sorry for?" said Dr. Cossack. "You trust us, don`t you? We`ve also got a good track record for secret keeping. No one else will ever have to know about this."

"Well, where is she… or he?" said Judith. "What can we do to help?"

"We don't know where he is," said Rock.

"He's hibernating, but only Dr. Light knew where," said Roll.

"Hibernating?" said Yuichi.

Roll nodded. "We wanted him to wait… for a better time. But now that this virus is out there, with no way to cure it, that time will probably never come.

"Judith, I'm not sure who was cleverer," she said, and pulled out the note from the binder with her shaking hands. "Dr. Light knew about what was coming to kill him, but he didn't know about this. If he'd known… if we'd known…"

She let go of Judith's arms, ripped the note to pieces, and, unable to contain herself anymore, shrieked. Just then, we heard a beeping sound coming from her pocket.

Roll gasped. "That one is for Blues," she said, without even having to look.

"How did you do it?" said Judith. "Albert stole the code from Tom years ago. Tom didn't have a copy."

"Yes, he did," Roll said. Her face was anguished. "I was hacking Dr. Wily's network. I got it back."

"Then, where is it now?" Judith said. "At the house?"

Roll covered her eyes. "No, no," she said. "It's with him... An investment in the future."

Suddenly, a movement on the security monitor caught my eye. A figure in a brown jacket pacing in front of the gate with his arms crossed, dripping wet. His matted black hair clung to the sides of his face. He looked cold and confused.

I shook Yuichi by the shoulder. "Look," I said. "Is that…?"

Yuichi put his face closer to the monitor. "Yes, that's him," he said. "Blues is here."


	5. In the Circle

All seven of us crowded around the monitor. The grainy image of Blues peered up into the camera as raindrops dripped from his nose and chin. His sunglasses peeked out from the top of his jeans pocket.

"What do we do?" I said.

"Talk to him," said Kalinka. With a deep breath, she turned on the intercom. "Hi, Blues," she said.

He seemed relieved to hear her voice. "Kalinka, something's wrong," he said. "I can't teleport in."

"There's a reason for that," she said. Her voice was calm, but her finger on the intercom was shaking. "Before Wily died, he created a virus that could corrupt your code. The android that killed him and Dr. Light was infected with it. When you went to the house the other day, the virus was still active." She bit her lip. "That means you might have been infected too."

"Corrupt my code?" he said. "How?"

"It can make you want to kill humans."

Blues laughed. "Well, I haven't had the urge to kill anyone lately," he said. "Wily's done enough of that for the both of us."

Roll leaned forward toward the intercom. "Blues, this is your sister," she said. "I'm afraid this is quite serious. This virus, if you're carrying it, would take a few days to change you. You may feel like yourself now, but that doesn't mean you're not infected." She paused, and pressed her lips together. "There's no cure."

Rather than shock, a look of grim resignation appeared on Blues's face. It was as though he was thinking, what now?

"We can scan you for it," said Kalinka. "That's the only way to know."

"Scan me?" Blues said. He was silent for a few moments. "Who else is there with you, besides Roll?"

"Well, there's Papa, of course, and Rock… and Judith, and, Yuichi, and Ms. Nishikawa, Yuichi's wife." As the list of names went on, she seemed to become increasingly nervous. "They've all been looking forward to seeing you."

Blues crossed his arms more tightly to himself, and looked down at the ground. He seemed lost in thought.

"If we let him in to be scanned," I whispered, "how can we make sure he doesn't pose a danger to anyone?"

Dr. Cossack turned off the intercom. "Any ideas?" he said.

"Danger?" said Kalinka. "He's acting like his normal self."

"The virus doesn't turn someone into a mindless zombie," said Yuichi. "He would still be capable of strategy and deception. We've got to be careful."

We glanced around at each other, but no one said a word. Kalinka seemed terrified. "He won't let you bring him here with his hands tied, or shut down, or under threat," she said at last. "Try that, and we'll never see him again."

"Of course not," said Judith. "No one is suggesting anything of the sort." She looked down at the pistol in Dr. Cossack's pocket, and raised her eyebrows at him. "Right, Ivor?"

Ivor seemed to bristle a little under her gaze. "Right," he said.

We noticed Blues's face turned upward at the camera, waiting. As he breathed, a faint cloud of steam escaped from his nostrils. Kalinka sighed, and reached out to turn on the intercom again.

"Blues," she said. "What are you going to do?"

He closed his eyes and shook his head. "I can't do it," he said. "You understand why."

"Blues, listen to me," Kalinka said. "You probably don't have the virus. Just come in and be scanned. Then you can stay as long as you want."

"No, Kalinka," he said. With reluctance, he turned around and glanced back at the dirt road behind him.

"Come on, Blues. You can do this," Kalinka said. "How is this any different from the time I fixed your energy system?"

"It just is," he said.

"Don't do it for me, then," Kalinka said. "Rock and Roll are here, and they're grieving. I know you care about them; you can imagine how they feel right now. They haven't seen you since Dr. Light died."

Blues looked away. He seemed to be in great pain. "Tell them I'm sorry," he said.

"They're right here," said Kalinka. "You can tell them yourself."

He didn't answer. With a brief wave goodbye, he took a few steps backwards and hovered on the outer edge of the camera's range.

"That's it?" I said. "He's just going to leave now?"

Rock, who had been watching and listening with increasing distress, bolted toward the intercom. "Blues, don't go," he said. "We need you… I need you. You always helped me before. I'm sad, and I'm scared."

There was no answer. The tiny image of Blues at the edge of the screen drifted out of sight. We held our breath as we saw him go.

Kalinka turned off the intercom, and gritted her teeth at the monitor. "No," she said.

"What else can we do?" said Yuichi. "We can't force him to stay."

"We can't let him go," said Kalinka. She looked at everyone, her eyes pleading for an answer. No one knew what to tell her.

"This is ridiculous," she said, her voice rising. "He'll have to recharge soon. What's he going to do? Start stealing energy cells again? He shouldn't have to live like that anymore." She paused to take a breath. "Is he going to go back to Shizuoka, with that thing still out there hunting for him? What if he's infected? He'll hurt someone. Then he'll be captured, or killed, won't he?"

After that, things happened very quickly. For a brief, tense moment, we stared at the monitor in silence. Then, without warning, Kalinka snatched the pistol from her father's pocket and bolted toward the door. She was already halfway to the other side of the lab before Ivor realized what was happening.

"I'll be damned," he said. He got up and went after her, in his haste knocking his chair to the floor. Judith ran after him. She caught up to him before he reached the other side, grabbed him by the arm, and held him back with all her strength.

"Ivor, let her go!" she said.

Kalinka disappeared through the door.

Dr. Cossack rounded on Judith. His eyes were wide. "Judith," he said, "What the hell are you doing?"

Judith's face was pleading. "Trust your daughter," she said, with a voice full of desperation. "Only she has any hope of getting him to come in."

Growling, Ivor shook at his arm. "Get your hands off me," he said. "How dare you. I won't let you gamble with her life, just so you can have a chance to feel a little better about yourself."

Judith gaped at him. "So, that's what you think?" she said. "This is about me and my feelings of guilt?"

"Yes," Dr. Cossack said. "You, and Tom too, should have done right by Blues the first time around. Maybe then he wouldn't be living like a stray animal."

Judith gasped and struck him on the face. Ivor reeled, and tried again to shake her off. Unable to get her loose, he began dragging her along with him toward the door. She screamed.

We watched in horror, unsure which side we were on. Rock took a few steps forward, but Yuichi caught him around the waist and pulled him back. By impulse I put my arms around Roll, though she wasn't trying to go anywhere. They stared with their mouths halfway open.

"I saw this coming," Yuichi said to them in a low voice. "They've got to figure it out for themselves."

"But what about Kalinka?" said Roll.

"She has the pistol," I said. "At least she can defend herself."

On the other side of the lab, Ivor was still trying to free himself from Judith's grasp. "Blues comes here exhausted, wearing filthy clothes," he said to her, his voice rising. "He won't accept our help. There's no reason for it, other than his own fear. It's shameful. He saved my daughter once, and I know he's had a hard life, and he's damaged—but it's not Kalinka's duty to fix everything that's wrong with him. Convenient as she may be for you. She has her own life to live."

"I don't think of her as a convenience," said Judith. "Tom didn't either. We're grateful. That's all."

"Then I hope the two of you weren't thinking you could buy her future with that small fortune Tom left her," Ivor said. "I accepted my commitment with full knowledge, but my daughter's too young to make a decision like that. She'll study whatever she wants, and go wherever she wants. No one's going to force her hand.

"Now, let go of me. Damn it, Judith, if he hurts her, I'll make you regret it."

"Stop it!" said Rock.

Judith and Ivor paused to look at him. While Judith's head was still turned, Ivor with one great push shoved her away, turned around, and ran out. Judith stumbled backward, collected herself, and went after him.

Rock pulled a little against Yuichi's grasp. "Yuichi, let me go," he said.

"What are you going to do?" said Yuichi.

"Protect Kalinka," he said. "I can get to her faster than they can."

"You can't go with them, remember?" said my husband, in a cool and rational voice. "You've got to stay far away from Blues until we know he's not infected."

"The monitor," said Roll. She pulled me by the hand, and Rock and Yuichi followed us. The space around the security gate was empty. The only activity on the screen was that of raindrops splashing against the puddles in the road.

"How far is it from here to the gate?" I said.

"Eight hundred meters," said Roll.

"He'll be gone by the time she gets there," said Yuichi.

Just then, Kalinka appeared on the monitor with the pistol still in her hand. She put her face against the bars of the gate and opened her mouth to shout, though we couldn't hear her words. Yuichi turned on the intercom.

"Blues, come back!" she said. "There are seven people here who love you. Are you going to throw that away? What are you so afraid of?" She sank to her knees in the mud. Then, she seemed to be watching something in the distance with a hopeful expression. She looked into the camera at us. "Open the gate!" she said.

"Be careful, Kalinka," said Roll. "We're not going to open it yet. Your father and Judith are on their way."

We held our breath. A few tense moments later, Blues appeared at the edge of the screen. He ran to her, and knelt down with her on the road with the gate still between them.

"Kalinka," he said. "It's cold. You should go inside."

Kalinka shoved the pistol into his hands, and forced it against her forehead. As we watched, Yuichi, Rock, Roll, and I let out a collective gasp. None of us could have guessed that would have become its purpose.

Blues stared at her, and seemed afraid to move. "Kalinka," he said, "what are you doing?"

"If you want to kill me, just do it now," she said.

With a horrified look on his face, Blues pried his fingers one by one from the grip, and dropped the pistol as though it was hot. "Why on earth would I want to do that?" he said.

Kalinka looked at him, then at the pistol in the mud, smiling through her tears. Through the bars of the gate, she grasped him by his arms and pulled him toward her. "You're still you," she said. Motionless and stupefied, he allowed himself to be embraced. After a few moments, he seemed to come back to himself, and he leaned into her arms.

"Don't ever do that again," he said.

They let go, and sat staring in silence at each other as the rain beat down on them. The gate between them seemed to evoke some shared memory, and they appeared lost in a dream. As I watched them, I couldn't help but feel I was intruding.

At last, Kalinka picked up the pistol. She emptied it of its bullets and flung them into the trees. "Let's go, Blues," she said. "Come with me."

Blues looked at the ground. "It should be easy," he said. "But it's not. You know that."

"I know," Kalinka said. "There are a lot of people here, and you're afraid of them. Is that it?"

"I guess it is," he said.

"You have to take a chance that you can trust them, then." She leaned forward, and lifted the pistol a little. "The way I just did with you."

Rock, unable to hold himself back any longer, leaned over the desk toward the intercom. "Big brother, it's me again," he said. As he spoke, Blues looked up into the camera. "Thanks for bringing those albums from the house. It helped me out, a lot." He paused. "I know you were thinking of me. What I want most of all is to know you better."

Roll came forward. "Blues, this is Roll," she said. "You started reaching out to me a while ago, and it's made me very happy. If you ever need something fixed, you can come to me. We're cut from the same cloth, after all. You trust me, I think. Don't you?"

Yuichi spoke next. "Hi, Blues," he said. "Yuichi here. Remember me? Actually, I know you do, because I programmed your memory storage and consolidation systems way back when. As you know, your memory is not entirely human; it's superhuman, since you can recall everything just the way it happened. I'm sorry about that, because in your case it means you can't shake off the bad stuff.

"Anyway, I'd like to recall a memory with you. That day you came to Nurtech for testing. You were feeling confused and uncomfortable, and Judith and I came to rescue you. We even managed to cheer you up a little. Well, I'm older now, but I'm still the same person. I think, if we got to know each other, we could get along."

I felt I had to say something too. "Um, this is Kaoru Nishikawa, Yuichi's wife. We met the other day in Shizuoka. Sorry I snooped on you. I won't do it again." I hesitated. "Well, I know this isn't much, but for what it's worth, I kept my promise to you."

Blues listened to our messages with one ear turned up, and his eyes down in Kalinka's lap. He looked again at the camera, and it seemed he was about to say something—but just then, Ivor appeared on the screen, panting, soaking wet, and terrified. His eyes were obscured by the fog covering his glasses. He stared at Kalinka, then at Blues, and at last at the pistol between them.

"Kalinka," he said, "what did you do?"

"I gave him the gun," she said. "And I gave him a chance to shoot me."

Ivor grabbed her and dragged her back from the gate. "No, Kalinka," he said. He put his arms around her, his mouth opened, twisted in anguish. "No, no."

"Papa, it's all right," she said. "He didn't hurt me. He's safe… at least for now."

Ivor looked at Blues, who was mirroring his own expression of disbelief. He began sobbing, and pressed his lips against her head. "Kalinka, you promised me."

"Now, if he chooses to be scanned, he can walk in freely," said Kalinka. "No one's going to coerce him."

"Okay, fine," said Ivor in a watery voice. He turned to Blues. "Well, you saw what she did for you. Are you coming in or not?"

The next moment, Judith appeared at the edge of the screen, her chest heaving as she gasped for air. Her white blouse, drenched by the rain, clung to her slender body in folds, and she resembled a wet cat. She steadied herself against the bars of the gate. Her eyes settled on Blues, still crouched in the road, and she smiled.

"Dr. Sorensen," said Blues. He pulled himself to his feet. He looked surprised to see her.

"Hello, Blues," she said. "Where's your scarf today?"

He stared at her for a long time. "I've still got it, but I don't wear it as much as I used to," he said in a faraway voice. "It's getting old. But I just can't get rid of it. It means something to me, I guess."

"That's a shame," said Judith. "I was hoping you'd thrown it out-that one small act of kindness all those years ago would have lost its importance to you. But it didn't turn out like that."

Blues continued to look at her. As I watched them interact, I realized this was the first time they had seen each other since Blues ran away. It had been twelve years.

"I've been unhappy," he said, "especially with Dr. Wily. But it hasn't been all bad."

"Mind if I guess what some of the good parts are?" Judith said. "The people you care about, for example? Kalinka, Rock, and Roll?"

"Yes," he said.

"And now, you've got to make a choice," said Judith. "There's a chance you could be a danger to them. Come in and be scanned, or you won't be allowed to see them ever again."

Blues looked at Kalinka. She pulled away from her father, and came back to join him at the gate.

"Okay," he said, and nodded. He looked frightened.

"So, you're coming with us?" said Judith. "You've agreed to be scanned?"

"Yes," he said.

"Then, I need you to know that this is your choice," said Judith. "The four of us are going to walk together to the Cossacks' house now, and you'll have plenty of time to change your mind. If you want to turn back, no one will stop you. If you come inside the house, and choose not to be scanned, that's all right too—but you'll have to leave.

"You're in control. Do you understand? Of course, there's no doubt which way we're all hoping you'll decide."

Blues nodded. "Dr. Sorensen," he said, "If I'm infected, what's going to happen to me?"

"Let's cross that bridge when we come to it," she said. "First things first. Stand back so we can open the gate. Kalinka, you too, please."

They separated from each other. Dr. Cossack approached his daughter and rested his hands on her shoulders. Judith gave the O.K. signal to us, and Yuichi pushed the button to open the gate. It rattled and came to life. When it was wide enough, Blues walked through. Kalinka took him by the hand; then the four of them turned away from the camera, and began to walk back up the road together. They disappeared from the screen.

We continued to stare at the monitor in a daze. "They're coming," I said at last. We exchanged a look of triumph, but it was short lived.

Yuichi turned to Rock and Roll. "The two of you have to get out of here," he said. "Go back to your campsite on the beach. Hurry."

In a flash they ran up the staircase, and came down again moments later. Rock carried Kalinka's rucksack over his shoulder. He stood still while Roll tucked some of their clothes inside and clicked shut the latches. They ran with Yuichi and me across the lab and to the closet near the front door, from which Yuichi pulled out the tent, two folded sleeping bags, and a couple of oversized rain jackets. We dressed them with fumbling fingers.

"If it goes well, we'll call you within an hour," Yuichi said.

"If it doesn't," said Roll, her shoulders sagging, "call us anyway, won't you?"

Rock looked at her, then at us. "Give us a chance to say goodbye," he said.

"Of… of course," Yuichi said.

He opened the front door. Once they had slipped their boots on, Yuichi and I nudged them out into the rain. Rock, staring at the road east, hesitated.

Roll, with a frantic look on her face, tugged at his arm. "Come on, Rock," she said. "Please. If we catch a glimpse of him, it'll be even harder to leave."

"She's right," Yuichi said. "We'll do our best for him. Do you trust us?"

Rock nodded.

Yuichi stepped into the rain with them, and gave them both a firm push. "Go."

They ran toward the north as fast as they could, weighed down by the items they carried. The rucksack on Rock's back bobbed up and down beneath his raincoat. Before they disappeared into the grey horizon, each of them looked back at us twice. Finally, they were gone.

I blinked back a few tears. "Yuichi," I said.

He looked at me and squeezed my hand. "What is it?" he said.

I tried to speak, but the words were stuck in my throat.

Yuichi and I turned toward the east and waited. Soon four silhouettes appeared along the dirt road. As they got closer, we were able to see them more clearly. Kalinka and Blues walked together in the middle, her arm locked in his, and they were flanked on either side by the towering figures of Ivor and Judith. Blues was staring at the ground, his face devoid of expression.

"Rock and Roll are gone, right?" Dr. Cossack called out to us.

"Yes, they're gone," Yuichi called back.

They reached the house. Kalinka and Blues huddled together in front of the door, shivering, as Blues stared inside. His eyes wandered toward Yuichi and me, and a look of recognition appeared on his face, but he didn't say anything to us.

Judith gave Blues a pat on the back. "Well, you've made it this far," she said. "A small victory. Are you going to go in, too?"

Without meeting her gaze, Blues answered with a slight nod.

"Yuichi, we need lots of towels and a space heater," said Ivor. "We'll need the generator too. Ms. Nishikawa, Blues has at least one set of spare clothes in Kalinka's closet. Please bring them down."

We did as he asked. When we returned, we found the four of them waiting in the lab. Blues was in the middle, and the other three stood around him. They were dripping from their waterlogged clothes and hair, and great puddles were forming on the linoleum floor beneath them. For a long time, no one said anything. Now that they had him, they seemed unsure what to do with him.

Dr. Cossack took off his glasses, wiped the lenses with one of the towels Yuichi had brought, and put them back on. He looked at Blues, and his nose twitched. "Okay, then," he said. "Let's at least make him comfortable first."

They helped him to peel off his jacket. Then, Yuichi and Ivor held a towel around his waist as he took off his wet clothes. When he had finished, he wrapped the towel around his shoulders, sat down in a chair, turned away from us, and dried himself discreetly, trying hard not to make eye contact with anyone. He continued to shiver. I brought the space heater, wiped the floor dry beneath it, and without getting too close to Blues, pointed it in his direction and turned it on.

Kalinka picked up his wet clothes and put them into a neat pile. We heard the ringing of a small piece of metal hitting the floor. It was the house key, which had fallen out of his pocket.

With the towel still wrapped tightly around him, he put on the dry pair of blue jeans I had brought. Then, with his back still turned, he put down the towel and slipped a t-shirt over his head. They were the same ripped blue jeans and black t-shirt he'd worn when I saw him in Shizuoka two days before. His black hair, still damp, was sticking up on top of his head in uneven spikes.

He turned his chair back toward us. Kalinka draped a blanket over his shoulders. She put the generator on the floor next to him and handed him the cord, which he plugged into his navel. "Okay," he said, still looking at the floor. "I'm ready."

Dr. Cossack took a towel and began to pat himself dry. "Next, we have to open you up," he said. "You can be awake for this."

"I'll do that part," Kalinka said.

"Still, you understand," said Ivor, "Kalinka can't do everything. She doesn't know the virus's signature, and we're not going to leave her by herself with you."

Blues nodded, but his eyes wandered toward the door, and he shifted a little in his chair.

"Want to go?" said Judith. "You can if you want."

Blues shook his head. "No," he said. "I'll stay." He became quiet. He seemed to be thinking about something. "But if I'm infected, I'll just leave," he said. "I'll go somewhere remote and stay away from people. I don't mind being alone."

"No, Blues," Judith said. "It's not like that, I'm afraid. If you're infected, you won't be yourself anymore. You will want to seek people out, and to hurt them. You'll have no control over what you do." She looked at Kalinka. "Perhaps you'll even try to come here to hurt her. At the very least, you'll forget you ever cared about her."

Blues looked at Kalinka, then closed his eyes. "So that means I'll have to die."

"Yes, that's what it amounts to," said Dr. Cossack, with a pitiful look toward his daughter. "For now, we would put you into a sleep state. But since, as Roll discovered today, there's no cure for the virus, it's likely you'd never wake up again."

"Try not to think too much about that," said Judith. "Albert meant for you to become infected one way or another, but thanks to Tom his plans went awry. I can't make any guarantees, but I think all three of you are going to escape with your lives, and your souls, intact."

Kalinka took a handful of cables from one of drawers in the desk. She connected each of them at one end to the netscreen. "Blues," she said. "Would you lift your shirt up, now?"

He did as she asked. Slowly, she traced the shape of a rectangle twice around his chest. Just as I had seen in Rock's netscreen interview years ago, the skin on his chest pulled back to reveal the bundles of circuits and wires inside. There were four inputs, into which Kalinka began to insert the cables one by one.

"Kalinka," he said, looking down at her hands. "If I'm infected, I want you to be the one to shut me down. You know where the kill switch is."

She shook her head, and glanced away.

"Please," he said, "I can't do it myself. And if anyone else comes near me, I'll want to run away."

Kalinka turned toward us as if asking for help, still clutching the final cable in her hand.

"Promise him, Kalinka," said Dr. Cossack. His voice was stern. "This is one of the possibilities you brought him in here for."

Kalinka took a deep breath and closed her eyes. When she opened them, she looked down at Blues and nodded. "I promise," she said. She inserted the final cable.

The netscreen went black. At the top left corner of the screen, a script appeared in white: "DRN-000 'Blues.' Awaiting input."

"Now it's our turn," Yuichi said. He opened the binder containing Dr. Wily's notes, and flipped to a dog-eared page toward the beginning. Judith read the signature out loud, piece by piece, as Yuichi typed it into the netscreen. It filled three lines of text. When they were finished, Yuichi took a deep breath.

"We need to be very careful about this," he said. "We don't want to waste his time searching for the wrong script."

Yuichi asked Judith to check the accuracy of the signature he'd typed. When she was finished, Ivor was asked to have a look, then me.

"How can we trust that the signature Wily wrote is correct?" I said. "After all, he left his notes incomplete on purpose."

"If we can count on Wily to be a dirtbag, then the signature, at least, is accurate," Yuichi said. "He wanted Roll to scan for it, and find it—in herself."

"All right," Dr. Cossack said. "Let's start."

Kalinka looked down at Blues and sighed. "Scan for input," she said, as she put her hand over his. The words "scanning CPU…" appeared on the screen. Blues watched with weary eyes as the netscreen then filled up with script, scrolling from left to right.

"Okay," said Ivor, and rubbed at his chin. "So far, so good. Now we just wait."

Blues draped the blanket around himself. He sank a little in his chair, as if trying to make himself smaller. "Move back, please, all of you," he said. "You're too close. It's nothing personal."

We picked up our chairs and dragged them a few paces away. Kalinka remained by his side. It was understood that he hadn't been talking about her.

"What can we do to help you relax?" said Dr. Cossack, as he lowered himself back into his chair. "Play some music, maybe?"

Blues pricked up his ears. "Music?" he said. "How long is this scan going to take?"

"Not long," said Yuichi. "Less than an hour."

"And it might be the last music I hear?"

Judith and Yuichi inclined their heads.

"Less than an hour," repeated Blues. He narrowed his eyes at us, and I noticed the slightest trace of a smile. "Too bad. That's not long enough to get through Beethoven's Ninth."

Ivor chuckled. "Is this gallows humor?" he said.

Judith smiled. "Kalinka, no wonder you like him," she said. "He's funny. Handsome, too, even more than I remember. We didn't do half bad, did we? I wonder, which of his creators does he take after most? Certainly not Albert."

"Me, of course," said Yuichi. "I'm Japanese, like him. And, I was the handsomest guy at Nurtech."

At the mention of "Albert" and "Nurtech," Blues's smile slipped. Again, he turned his head toward the door. He opened the blanket a little, and his left hand rose from his lap and hovered next to the wires plugged into his chest. I imagined him yanking them all out and running out into the storm. We were all silent, too terrified to move.

Kalinka put her hand on his shoulder. "Stay here in the present with us," she said, trying to keep her voice calm. "Remember where you are, and who's with you."

Blues looked up at her, and blinked a few times. He lifted his hand away from the wire, and grasped the blanket instead, which he wrapped more tightly around himself.

"Tell us about a happy memory," said Judith. "There has to have been something."

"There was," he said. He leaned back in his chair, and with half-lidded eyes stared downward. "I liked being in the woods, and waking up to the sound of birds." He closed his eyes. "Especially in the spring, when uguisu were around."

"Yes, I know that sound," said Judith, with her eyes turned to the netscreen. She had the exact look of a doctor distracting an anxious patient during an examination. "It's lovely. Can you hear it in your head, right now?"

"If I try," said Blues.

"Go on," said Yuichi. "What else is there?"

"I liked playing the piano," Blues said. "But, after I ran away, of course, I didn't have one. I went to Tokyo, once in a while, where it was easy to be invisible, and played the pianos in the music shops. Sometimes, people stopped to listen. They usually didn't say anything to me, but it made me happy to know that I'd been heard by someone."

"Stop talking in the past tense," said Kalinka. "We haven't found anything wrong with you, yet."

Blues looked up at her. "I'd rather not set myself up for disappointment," he said. "There's been a lot of that in my life."

"Enough about that," said Yuichi. "Keep talking, but keep it light."

"Right. Well, I also liked teleporting to different places, and going wherever I wanted," Blues said. "There was a place I went to, sometimes, in Algeria, near the entrance of the Sahara. The sunsets were beautiful there."

Kalinka glanced down at him and smiled, with a look of recognition on her face. She had heard this story before.

"I liked going there because I knew I wouldn't see any people," he said, "but one day, I did. I'd been sleeping under a tree. I woke up, and saw a Bedoin caravan heading away in the distance on their camels. They'd seen me, and knew I didn't belong there. They'd left something by my side."

"What was it?" said Yuichi.

"A canteen of water," he said, "and a hand-drawn map leading to the nearest village."

"Two things you didn't need," said Judith, wiping at her eyes. "But it's the thought that counts."

"Then, there were the times that I helped Rock," said Blues. "And the time when I brought Kalinka to you, Dr. Cossack, and knew for certain that she was safe."

Ivor clasped his hands together in his lap. "Thank you," he said. "I'm glad Kalinka was able to return the favor."

"That was one of the best memories of all," he said. He turned to Kalinka. "A year ago, when you fixed my energy system. I woke up, and the pain I'd had almost all my life was gone. It was something that Dr. Light was never able to do."

"He would have, if you'd let him," Kalinka said, in a chiding voice. "He wanted to help you. It should have been him, not me."

"I know," said Blues, looking up at the screen. His face went dark. "I'm sorry that he's dead, and that it was too late for us."

Just then, Dr. Cossack's netphone rang. He picked it up and looked at the screen. "Your siblings," he said to Blues. "They want to video chat." He answered the call.

"It's us," said Rock. His voice was panicked. "We couldn't wait. Is Blues there? Are you scanning him yet?" Through the speaker of Ivor's netphone, we heard raindrops pattering against the roof of the tent in the background.

"Yes, he's here," said Ivor. "He's being scanned right now, but we don't have the results." He gave the phone to Kalinka, who handed it to Blues. As the phone passed hands, I could see Rock's and Roll's faces pressed close to the screen.

"Blues, we almost forgot," said Roll. "This morning, we received a message for you from Dr. Light. He wrote it just before he died. Do you want to know what it says?"

"Okay," said Blues.

"It says, 'you did nothing wrong.'"

Blues didn't react at first. He blinked into the netphone, and then looked up. "All right," he said. He nodded slightly. "Thanks." Then, little by little a change came over his face, and he bowed his head toward his lap. The phone slipped out of his hands and onto the floor.

"Four words," I whispered to Ivor. "Is that all?"

"That's all that was needed," Ivor said.

Kalinka, her cheeks red, picked up the netphone and placed it back into Blues's hands.

"We're going to stay on the line until your scan is finished," said Rock. "Since we can't be there with you in person, it's the least we can do."

"You don't have to say anything to us," said Roll. "Just don't hang up, okay?"

Blues, with his head still bowed, nodded down at the phone.

Ten minutes passed by, then twenty. The sound of the rain outside diminished to a trickle, and then stopped. Blues clutched the blanket around himself with one hand, and the netphone in the other. He was silent, but he didn't seem to be thinking of escape, so no one asked him to speak. He appeared lost in reverie, and he kept his gaze far away from the script racing by on the netscreen.

Kalinka, with her hand on his arm, was watching. With each passing minute, she became increasingly tense. "Please," she said, at no one in particular. "Please."

From his chair several paces away, Ivor was watching his daughter with the same apprehension. He sat hunched over with his elbows on his knees, his chin resting on his folded hands—and I could clearly see his place in the chain of suffering that would be created if the virus was found.

Judith and Yuichi kept their eyes glued to the script. On the desk in front of them, one of the binders containing Dr. Wily's notes was opened to a place near the middle. They were talking in low tones, once in a while glancing back at Blues with alternating looks of hope and terror.

As for me, I waited in silence with my head down and my hands in my lap. Out of respect, I tried not to stare at him—but failed. After thirteen years, here he was: the secret Yuichi had been keeping, at last, right in front of me. The way he sat slumped in his chair, with meditative eyes, and his pale hand grasping the blanket, was unmistakably real. For years, I'd thought he was dead. Then I'd discovered he was alive, and chased him all the way to the remotest corner of the world, only to face the possibility that I was now witnessing the final moments of his life.

He was the same age as my daughter. If he died, I knew, I wouldn't be able to stand it.

Then, the script came to an end. The netscreen went black again, except for five words: "Scan complete. Input not found."

Ivor let out a heavy sigh. Judith and Yuichi smiled. Kalinka, her eyes wide, looked down at Blues, and back up at the screen. She yanked at his arm.

"Blues!" she said. "Look."

Blues lifted his head. When he saw the result on the screen, he sank back into his chair, and with his free hand pulled the cables one by one from his chest. He closed himself up, adjusted his shirt, and let the blanket fall to the floor.

Kalinka took the netphone from his hands and held it up to her face. Rock and Roll were still there, peering at her in expectation. "Blues is all right!" she said. She put the phone in front of the netscreen so they could read the result themselves. Without saying anything, they hung up the line. We knew they were already running back along the beach.

Blues stood up from the chair, and Kalinka threw her arms around him. She began to cry. Blues, looking a little dazed, returned her embrace. He turned his face away from us, but there was no way for him to hide the fact that he was crying too.

"Come on," said Kalinka. "Rock and Roll are coming back. Let's go out and meet them." They pulled back from each other. Blues, with his back turned to us, wiped at his eyes.

When he was finished, Dr. Cossack stood and shook his hand. "I hope this means we'll be seeing more of you," he said.

"I'll do what I can," Blues said.

Judith sniffed. "When you're ready," she said, and pointed toward Yuichi, "the three of us have some catching up to do."

Blues nodded. He and Kalinka ran toward the door, hand in hand. Within a few minutes, they appeared again on the security monitor, walking along the beach. The sky behind them was grey but still.

"Dr. Cossack, forgive me for this," I said, "but… are they…?"

Ivor shook his head. "I don't know what they are," he said. He looked down at his right hand, where a few tiny droplets of moisture glistened. "He loved her years ago, when she was a little girl. She's changed since then, but his feelings are exactly the same. Friends, soul mates—call it what you want; despite appearances, Blues is not a teenage boy. Not even male at all. As Kalinka's father, and as a man, I know what I know."

"Human as they are, there are some important differences between Blues and his siblings, and us," said Yuichi. "That's one of them."

"Kalinka knows that," said Ivor, "but I think she forgets, once in a while."

The two figures, walking side by side, disappeared from the screen.

"I don't know what the future has in store for them. It frightens me," he said, and wiped his hand on his opposite sleeve, "but I have to admit it's beautiful, all the same."


	6. Blind Spots

It was already late afternoon before we had our first meal. Ivor and Kalinka went to work in the kitchen. Rock and Roll offered to help them, but Ivor shook his head.

"We don't need four people in here," he said. "Sit down and relax."

We ate, except for Rock and Roll, who drank half a glass of water each. I stole a glance at Yuichi, and his eyes met mine. I didn't have to ask what purpose, during the past few days since their creator's death, they'd depleted their water reserves for.

Blues remained outside next to the cliff and watched the ocean. We invited him to come in and sit with us, but he declined. Kalinka gave him her father's grey windbreaker, which dwarfed him, and he went down the path toward the beach, alone. A few minutes later, we noticed him on Dr. Cossack's second security monitor which hung above the kitchen window. He was skipping stones in a shallow inlet along the shore, with the sleeves of the jacket rolled up to his elbows. The clouds had dissipated, and the afternoon sun glinted off the surface of the water.

Kalinka rushed through her meal as if it was an inconvenience. Her eyes, red and heavy-lidded from lack of sleep, kept wandering up to the monitor. When she finished eating, much sooner than the rest of us, she stood and picked up her plate. Ivor took it from her hands and put it back down on the table.

"I'll take care of this," he said. "Just go."

She flung her jacket across her shoulders, pulled on her boots, and left.

Judith and Ivor sat across from each other. Once in a while, their eyes met in a look of mutual understanding. They had more in common than not. If any hard feelings remained between them, they were at least, for now, pushed back below the surface in the presence of the people they were both determined to protect.

Yuichi was quiet. When he had finished eating, he leaned back in his chair, rubbed the lenses of his glasses with the hem of his shirt, and with serene cat-like eyes gazed up at the tiny images of Blues and Kalinka on the monitor. He turned his eyes to Rock and Roll, who were chatting with Ivor. He yawned. His shoulders went loose, and his hands rested where they fell in his lap. My husband had never been the type to complain, or to express his anxieties to the world, even to me. It was only now, when he was truly relaxed, that I fully understood how much the events of the past few days had terrified him.

I patted him on the arm. He got up, thanked our hosts, excused himself, washed his plate in the sink, and shuffled into the lab and up the staircase.

"Well," said Dr. Cossack, "let's find out what's going on in the rest of the world." He turned on the netscreen, and found a live Japanese news broadcast. A panel of five guests sat at a table, having a discussion. The caption at the bottom of the screen, transcribed in real time into Russian, read: "Did Rockman really have feelings?"

"Yesterday," the moderator began, "the Tokyo metropolitan government received a petition signed by residents of the city, requesting that a public memorial service be held for Rock. By last count, it reached over eleven and a half million signatures. Though Dr. Judith Sorensen, a long-time colleague of Dr. Light and executor of his will, this morning refused to give her permission for the event, it seems that the topic of Rock's personhood, or lack thereof, is far from settled."

"Wonderful," Judith said, her arms crossed. "It looks like I'm on my way to becoming the most hated woman in Japan."

Rock and Roll gave her a look of gratitude, then turned their faces up toward the screen.

One of the guests, introduced as Michiko Kondo, a senior professor of computer science at Tsukuba University, said: "Even with recent dramatic advances in technology," she said, "most of my colleagues and I still disagree that a conscious robot is possible…"

Next spoke Hiroshi Sato, a professor of philosophy and ethics at the University of Tokyo. "There's no way to prove Rockman was conscious," he said. "But, there's no way for any of us to prove we are, either…"

The other two guests, also prestigious academics, said their piece.

"It is very unfortunate," said the moderator, "that Dr. Judith Sorensen has declined to join us for this discussion today. Anyway, our final guest is 26-year-old Miss Manami Ishii of Taito Ward, Tokyo. Five years ago, during the attack by Dr. Wily on Ueno, she was pinned beneath her car. Rockman freed her and alerted a medic to her presence. She says she wouldn't be alive today without him."

Rock leaned forward in his chair. A look of recognition appeared on his face, and he stared wide-eyed at the screen, his mouth slightly open. Based on what Yuichi had said to Blues this morning about having a flawless memory, I assumed that he remembered the face of every person he had ever helped.

Ms. Ishii began to speak. "He didn't just save me," she said. "He talked to me, and calmed me down. There was a moment when I passed out. When I woke up, he was feeling for my pulse. He seemed… frightened. Then, when he saw I was still alive, he looked relieved."

"Many other survivors have told stories like yours," said the moderator.

"Maybe it was real, or maybe the emotion I saw in him was the result of some really complex logarithm designed by Dr. Light," said Ms. Ishii. "I can't prove anything. I only know how I felt."

"I'd like to thank all our guests for coming today," said the moderator. "Some of Rock's purported displays of emotion have been caught on film. We'd like to show you, our viewers, a few of them now, and let you decide for yourself."

The scene changed to a newscast dated September 3rd, 2072, less than two years ago. Rock was in his original form, standing next to an ambulance. Far in the background, the twisted and gray remains of a commuter train snaked across the screen. The ambulance drove away, and female reporter approached him at a run.

"Rock, you just pulled twenty one survivors from that train wreck. Thank you. Won't you give us a few words?"

"Leave me alone," Rock said. The reporter looked back toward the camera with a blank expression, puzzled. Rock walked away at a brisk pace, his arms swinging stiffly at his sides. Anyone could recognize that he was angry. The reporter followed at his heels. The picture went wobbly, then bounced, as the cameraman ran along behind them.

Rock's figure was slight. He wore shorts and a white and orange Yomiuri Giants t-shirt. The wind disheveled his hair, blowing at just the right angle to make his cowlick stand on end. By all appearances he was a young boy, small and alone. It was a little unreal, and unsettling, to watch him being pursued by the media. In another time and another context, the reporter could have been me.

"You always destroy Dr. Wily's robots," she said, still chasing after him. "But you didn't destroy this one. Why not?"

Rock stopped and turned. The look on his face was pained, but then he seemed to remember something, and he put on an accommodating slight smile that looked forced. "I just wasn't good enough this time," he said. "I have to practice and get better."

"It really seemed like you just let 'Forte' go," she said.

"No," said Rock. His voice had turned wooden. "I must protect people. I'll defeat anything that gets in the way of my directive."

His words and his affect were lies couched in truth, the kind of misdirecting communication with which, over the past few days, I'd become all too familiar. It didn't come naturally at all to him. Roll was marginally better at it; but no one was more adept than Dr. Light himself, who had used it to spectacular effect even on the people who knew him best.

The clip came to an end. The real Rock, sitting beside us at the kitchen table, was looking up at the netscreen in silence. A second clip began, but he didn't stay to watch it. Instead, he picked up a leftover crust of bread from Kalinka's plate and went outside, leaving the door open behind him. We peered at him through the window as he walked toward the cliff. A seagull hovered just above him, and he broke off a piece of bread and threw it into the air. Within seconds, other gulls arrived, and soon a large group was swooping and diving around him. When the bread was gone, a few remained by his side, regarding him with patient expectation.

Roll got up and stood in the doorway, watching. Ivor followed her.

"So he's warmed up to them already," he said.

A look of pity washed over Roll. "There aren't any people here in need of help, but I guess there will always be hungry gulls," she said. "Dr. Cossack…"

"Don't worry," Ivor said, staring out the door. "We will think of something." He bent his head toward her, and after a quick glance across the room at Judith, looked Roll in the eye. "And what about you? You had a directive of your own."

Roll turned, and went back to her seat at the table. "It will have to be written over with something else," she said. She took the netphone out of her pocket, placed it in front of her, and turned it around a few times in her small hands. Ivor sat down next to her, and Judith pulled her chair closer.

When the last gull had flown away, the figure of Rock brushed the crumbs from his hands, walked away along the path down the hill, and disappeared. Roll got up to follow him, but we heard the sound of Kalinka's voice coming from the beach below; robbed of any decent excuse to leave, she returned to her chair.

Judith and Ivor were waiting for her.

Suddenly, I felt it was time to make my exit. I got up to go, but Ivor smiled at me. "Ms. Nishikawa, we know you're just going to eavesdrop on us anyway," he said, "so stay, and save yourself the trouble."

Roll let out a nervous laugh, and I sat down again.

The news program on the netscreen had shifted its focus to Dr. Wily's mysterious final creation. Mr. Taniyama of the Shizuoka prefectural police headquarters was again trying to calm the public. He had his work cut out for him. The caption at the bottom of the screen read: "Will world-famous roboticists' murderer ever be found?"

"What will happen to him?" I said.

"If he's like us, then he'll have to recharge sooner or later," said Roll. "But he's not in control of himself. He'll go wherever Wily ordered him to go." She shuddered. "Perhaps, to hibernate somewhere."

Ivor and Judith looked at her.

"Roll, when you spoke about wanting to one day modify the code," said Judith, learning forward on her elbows, "weren't you actually talking about something you'd already done?"

Roll, staring down at her netphone, answered with a slight nod.

"Don't think I'm going to judge you," Judith said. "It's yours, after all. But, as one of its creators, I still can't help but feel a sense of ownership. I only want to know."

Roll leaned back in her chair, with her hand still curled around the netphone. "You asked how I knew Dr. Wily was ill," she said. "Well, I knew because I was corresponding with him."

Ivor's eyes became wide. "Why would you do that?" he said.

Roll looked down at the table. "I wanted to understand him, and a part of me hoped I'd be able to change his mind. I was… overconfident, I guess.

"He always said he wanted to destroy all traces of the code, including us, because he feared what humans and their greed would do with it. His motive, for everything he did, was to prevent the chance the code could be abused on a wide scale. He called himself a 'big picture person,' and said our lives were of little consequence in the grand scheme of things."

"The code`s other authors feared the same things he did," said Judith. "But we never came to the same conclusions as him concerning what to do about it." It seemed there was something more she wanted to say, but she bit her tongue.

Roll looked up. "In spite of everything, I like myself," she said, "and I like my life. But, there was something missing. I think you can guess what it is."

"Of course I can," said Judith, leaning back in her chair. "You spent your whole life trapped in that house—hiding from the greed of humans."

"Yes," she said. "That's over, and now I'll spend the next part of it hiding in this one." She turned toward Ivor. "Dr. Light trusted you, and he knew you were willing, but that wasn't the only reason he asked you to take care of us after his death."

"Well, I understand that much," said Ivor. He frowned a little. "This is as far from civilization as it's possible to get."

Roll nodded. She looked out the window, toward the point on the cliff where Rock had been feeding seagulls minutes before. "The public loved Rock," she said, "and they knew there was more to him, and by extension me, than Dr. Light ever let on. Perhaps, after a few more years, it would have been safe for us to..." She stopped, and shook her head. "Well, that`s not going to happen now.

"Anyway, I had some noble thoughts once, Dr. Sorensen," she said, "as you described them this morning. I dreamed of living in the open, together with humans, without being afraid. And if my brothers and I couldn't do it ourselves, then at least others like us, sometime in a better future…

"My dreams got bigger. They became… utopian. It was beautiful."

Rapt, Judith pressed her lips together, and rested her chin in her hand. "I'm sure it was."

"Then a time came, not long ago, when I realized my capabilities had caught up with my ambitions. I did a lot of thinking. I knew that, if the world was filled with other beings like me, they, and humans, would eventually find something to fight about. Though I don't know which side would be the one to start it…"

"Based on what I've seen so far," said Dr. Cossack, "I'd put my money on the humans."

"Anyway, I can`t change human nature. But there was something, at least, that I could change… well, I used to think it was impossible, until one day when I made a breakthrough."

"You found a way to modify the code," said Dr. Cossack.

Roll nodded.

"So, you created someone," Judith said. "The sixth."

"I didn't work alone," she said. "Dr. Light helped me. It was a collaboration."

"So, whoever he is, he's going to be more 'advanced' than you?" said Judith. "His 'circle of empathy,' as you call it, is going to be wider?"

"Perhaps not at first, but in time, and with experience… If he chooses, wider than the vast majority of humans, or I, or Blues, or even Rock, could ever achieve."

"How considerate of you," said Judith. It was said only half in jest; the other half was sincere veneration.

"And you left the modified copy of the code with him," said Ivor, "so that others would follow."

"That's right."

"And he's sleeping and hidden somewhere, and only Tom knew where he is?" said Judith.

Roll glanced down at the netphone and nodded.

"How much did Dr. Wily know about what you were doing?" said Ivor.

Roll shifted in her chair. The question seemed to hurt her. "Enough," she said at last. "I thought Dr. Light and I had outsmarted him, and I wanted him to know it."

"You have a vindictive streak in you," said Dr. Cossack, with a bittersweet smile. "First Nurtech, and now this."

"Nurtech?" I said, no longer content just to listen. "What about Nurtech?"

Judith turned toward me. "That security breach a few years ago that caused Nurtech to go under—that was her doing, of course." She reached across the table and put her hand over Roll`s. "She may be cute, but she`s also a dangerous cyberterrorist."

Roll cast her eyes down at the table. "That was one thing, but talking to Wily was another. It was pride. I was stupid."

"No. You underestimated him, that's all," said Judith. "Tom did, too. We all did."

"I provoked him," Roll said. "Once he learned the code could be changed, it was only a matter of time before he invented a way to do something horrible with it." She closed her eyes. "It cost Dr. Light his life. And it could have cost Blues his."

Dr. Cossack, seeing Roll's distress, drew closer and put his arm around her shoulder. "Stop," he said. "It wasn't your fault."

"Keep the blame where it belongs," said Judith. "Anyway, I knew Albert much longer than you did. Forget whatever he told you about the 'grand scheme' or the 'greater good' or whatnot. He didn't care one whit for humanity, or for some hypothetical future race of sentient androids. His motive was jealousy—of Tom. Nothing more.

"As you`ve heard, Albert's contribution to the Jinsei Project was relatively small, much smaller than he was capable of. He kept it that way on purpose. That's why he liked to call himself your 'uncle.' He was afraid that, if he fully invested himself in the work, his genius compared to Tom's would be revealed for what it was: inferior. Secretly, he hoped the project would fail. Though he never admitted it, the day Blues was activated was the worst day of his life. Albert thought rather highly of himself, and he hated living in Tom's shadow.

"And, there was something else," said Judith, "which was probably the start of it all. Something you may not have known about. He believed Tom had stolen Catherine from him."

At the mention of Catherine's name, Roll raised her head.

"As if a woman has no control over her own heart," Judith continued. She became visibly incensed. "His resentment went on even after Catherine was dead. Albert was mean and small-minded through and through, and he wanted Tom to suffer. That's all. If hurting you and your brothers was what it took, then so be it.

"You, and Rock too, were always much too kind to him."

"Kind?" said Roll. "We fought against him. How were we kind?"

"It was kind of you to imagine that talking to him would do any good. It pains me to think about it. Always hoping he'd come around." She sighed. "Well, I can understand, at least, why you wanted to believe that he was motivated by his ideas. Ideas can always be changed—perhaps with a little persuasion."

A look of recognition appeared on Roll`s face, and she nodded with reluctance.

"Maybe it's because, though you're capable of experiencing some of our baser human feelings, you haven't—not yet, anyway—and you can't see them in others. It's your blind spot."

"I still think Wily was motivated by his ideas," Roll said. "If all he wanted was to hurt Dr. Light, why didn't he just let Nurtech take Rock away, ten years ago?"

"If Nurtech had gotten hold of Rock, it would have hurt Tom very much, that's true." Judith sighed. "And then Nurtech would have gone on to fill the world with the products of Tom's genius. That's what Albert couldn't stand. He didn't think like you or me. His claim to care about the 'greater good' was just a cover for his petty feelings."

Roll winced, and wrapped Judith`s shawl more tightly around her shoulders.

"Actually, Tom had a few blind spots of his own," said Judith. "He was innocent, too, more than his age should have allowed.

"When we created Blues—I mean me, Tom, Albert, Yuichi, and Catherine too, for the time she was involved—we underestimated the evil in this world. After what happened to Blues—what we thought was his suicide—we wised up, except for Tom. He was determined to try again, and so here you are.

"I have to say he did a better job the second time around; still, how much forethought did he put into it? He thought he could keep you secret from Nurtech, and he was wrong. You spent your whole lives hiding; you said it yourself. All those beautiful inventions of yours, Roll—except for the toys you showed to your netscreen viewers: passed off as his own, because it was too dangerous for you to claim them as yours. Poor Rock, allowed to love the world only from a distance…"

Roll listened, but she avoided Judith's eyes. "By the time we were already here," she said, "there was nothing Dr. Light could do."

"Forethought wasn't Tom's strong point," said Judith. "Afterthought, on the other hand…"

Roll cupped her hands over her mouth, and nodded in emphatic agreement.

"Don't forget I loved the man almost as much as you did," Judith said. "He had faults, but he also took responsibility. When the moment of truth came, three days ago, he proved he didn't trifle with your lives."

A minute passed in silence. Roll turned to Dr. Cossack. "What do you think?" she said, in a shaking voice.

"You want my opinion?" Ivor leaned back, his eyes looking up at the ceiling. It was clear she had put him in a tough spot. "Even if you didn't always feel safe, or free, there's no doubt you were loved," he said. "That was obvious even before Dr. Light's death, which should settle it once and for all.

"Every life is a leap in the dark—even those created by more… conventional means." He gazed up at the image of Kalinka on the monitor. "Whatever happened in the past, your future's still ahead, which is why my feelings stop short of pity. And, in any case, we're glad you're here."

Roll looked up at Judith and Ivor in gratitude. It was clear she knew they had left some things unsaid, but they'd found a way for her to reconcile her feelings.

"Let's get back to the situation at hand," said Judith. "Albert's last creation, and the virus: why are they here, and what can you do about it? You have some ideas already, don't you?"

Roll nodded. "I think the purpose of Wily's last creation was to kill us, and him too, but the virus that he carries… was meant for anyone who came after.

"The modified code was supposed to be a gift to the world. But when Dr. Wily created his virus, he destroyed that hope forever. It could wipe out everything…" She blinked away a few tears. "As long as both the code and the virus are out there somewhere, humanity will be in danger, and so will we. Unless…"

She picked up the netphone and went silent. A minute or so passed.

"Please, don't stop talking now," said Judith.

"Another message is coming," Roll said. "A set of coordinates. Dr. Light wouldn't have left it unfinished. He wanted us to know.

"But, if that message comes, I'm afraid of what I might do. I'll be tempted to find him and destroy him, and the code along with him. Not even you, Dr. Cossack, would be able to stop me from going."

Ivor raised his eyebrows at her.

"I know it would be the logical choice," she said. "I'm a big picture person too, like Wily claimed to be. But I wouldn't be able to live with myself.

"What do I do?"

"He`s already been activated, hasn`t he?" said Dr. Cossack.

"Yes," Roll said.

"Then there`s no going back now."

Judith and Ivor bowed their chins toward their chests. Finally, Ivor took a deep breath and lifted his head. "Let's pretend Wily really was motivated by his ideas, and that he cared about the future," he said. "He didn't want Nurtech to get the code and create a permanent underclass, or a race of slaves, or whatever it is he was afraid of, with it. Would that still have justified his attempts to kill you?"

Roll shook her head.

"Then you already know the answer," said Judith. "You can't separate your heart from your intellect. It's what makes you better than he was."

"Do whatever you can live with," Dr. Cossack said, and smiled, "since you're going to keep on living for a long time. I`ll make sure of that."

Roll listened with her eyes down at her hands. A grim look appeared on her face, and finally she got up from the chair. "First things first," she said. "Wait here." She left the room, and came back a few minutes later holding the original copy of the code inside its cardboard box. She placed the box onto the table.

"Dr. Sorensen, you said this was mine, didn't you?"

Judith nodded, her eyes widening. "And your brothers', to do with as the three of you decide."

"I know them," Roll said. "Blues would tell me to destroy it. Rock was busy with other things, and his priorities were very different from mine." She opened the box, and pulled out one of the disks. "Are you absolutely sure, Dr. Sorensen? This is your life's work. Forty years."

"My life's work is standing right in front of me," said Judith, "and walking along the beach. It's not a collection of disks in a box." Though she was smiling, her hands were gripping her knees, and her knuckles turned white.

Roll glanced at me. "Ms. Nishikawa, your husband… he's asleep now, isn't he? Can you speak for him?"

I looked up. "I know that what he told you this morning were his true feelings. He wouldn't change his mind now."

She turned to Ivor. "Dr. Cossack…" she said.

Ivor waved his hand at her. "What are you asking me for?" he said. "It was never mine to begin with. Do what you're going to do."

Roll's hands were shaking. She held the disk between them. "It's time to make a choice," she said. "I`m going to do what Wily couldn`t. It has to be done quickly, or I won't be able to do it at all." Staring down at the object in her hands, she tightened her grip. "The code is worthless if it's incomplete," she said. She closed her eyes and exerted her strength, and the disk broke clean in two.

Judith exhaled, and loosened her hold on her knees. Roll gave her a sympathetic look, then broke two more disks for good measure. She put the ruined fragments back into the box, carried them outside, barefoot, and threw everything, box and all, over the cliff. A few seagulls eyed her hopefully, then flew away when it was obvious she hadn't brought anything for them.

She returned, wild-eyed, and picked up the netphone. With a pained expression, she gripped it in her right hand, went back out the door, ran toward the edge, and flung it over. It soared in a wide arc toward the afternoon sun, descended, and vanished into the horizon.

When she finally came back, she hesitated in the doorway for a few moments and stared ahead with vacant eyes. A breeze coming in through the door ruffled her dress and hair, and the sun illuminating her from behind created the impression of a halo. Ivor got up, ran to her side, and guided her by the elbow back to the table. She sat down in her chair, still staring.

"I don't know what's going to happen now," she said at last. "All I know is that I can`t destroy him. But whether to wake him in a few decades` time, or to let him sleep forever: that's a decision I just can`t make. I'll leave it to chance. He`ll be a leap in the dark."

For a few moments, Ivor and Judith sat next to her in silence.

"One more thing," said Judith at last. "Please just tell me that you and Tom gave this collaboration of yours some means to defend himself. Those who just want to get along often end up trampled by those who don't."

"Don't worry," said Roll. "We took care of that."

Finally she got up, went to the door, put on her shoes, and disappeared down the path to the beach. For the foreseeable future, all she had was this house and the people in it, a microcosm of the world she had wanted so desperately to create.

A few minutes later, we heard the sound of laughter coming from below, composed of four distinct voices. Two belonged to Rock and Kalinka. The third, a soft giggle, was Roll's. There was a fourth, lower in timbre, hesitant but sincere, which I knew belonged to Blues. I remembered the unfinished photo album and the note from Dr. Light to "R+R+K." I jumped up from my chair.

"Dr. Cossack, my camera," I said.

Ivor understood. He got up and strode into the lab. He returned, put the camera into my hands, and held the door open for me. Judith smiled. I ran down to the beach as fast as I could.

It was a start.

 

A few hours later, I called Dr. Cossack into the living room to show him the article I'd just finished writing. It portrayed an alternate universe in which Rock and Roll had been destroyed—but that was no great tragedy, as they were never alive in the first place.

Ivor bent his broad shoulders over the writing desk under the window where I was sitting, and squinted down at the computer. He read the draft from beginning to end once, then twice. When he was finished, he straightened himself and took a step back, giving me a satisfied nod.

"There's nothing I'd ask you to change," he said. "Thanks for being so quick."

"It was easy," I said. "Our interests are aligned."

He looked over my shoulder as I sent the document to Takada, along with the images of the destroyed likenesses of Rock and Roll. Then he printed out the photos of Blues before deleting them from my camera.

"This means you and your husband can leave," he said. "There's a flight out of Smirnykh at ten a.m. tomorrow. You'll be home by evening."

We heard footsteps coming up the staircase. Kalinka trudged in, yawning, with a peaceful look on her face. A few strands of auburn hair stuck out from the back of her head, bedraggled by the wind.

"Hi, Papa," she said. "Hi, Ms. Nishikawa."

Blues hesitated at the door, peering over at Ivor and me. Then he followed Kalinka as she collapsed onto the sofa.

"I just want to sit down for a moment," she said. Her eyelids were heavy.

He sat next to her. She held out her hand, and he took it in his. He craned his head toward her. Once in a while he glanced at us, and we turned away, pretending not to be paying them any attention.

"Remember the one good thing about all of this," said Kalinka, in a murmur. "No more Wily."

They smiled at each other. Kalinka closed her eyes. Before long, her hand loosed its grip on Blues's, and dangled from the edge of the sofa. He placed it at her side, and covered her with a blanket. She began snoring quietly.

Ivor took a tentative step forward. "She stayed up all night waiting for you," he said. "You knew that, didn`t you?"

Blues turned his head toward Ivor. "No, I didn`t," he said. He looked down at the coffee table, and his eyes settled on the urn containing the ashes of Dr. Light.

"So, this is it."

"Yes, it is," said Dr. Cossack. "My sympathies. He was a good friend."

Blues looked at the objects around the urn, and reached out to stroke the flowers. "I don't have anything to put here," he said.

"Yes, you do," Ivor said. "Courtesy of Ms. Nishikawa." He took the photos he had just printed from the desk and put them into Blues's hands. "This is something he wanted. Don't you think so?"

"Yeah, I guess." He put them down next to the urn, in front of the wedding photo of Tom and Catherine.

"Where will you sleep tonight? There's a third futon here for you, if you want it—there always has been."

Blues shook his head. "No thanks. I'll spend the night under the stars, on the beach. Rock and Roll left the tent there this morning," he said. "Old habits die hard."

Ivor cleared his throat. "That reminds me. There's something we need to talk about," he said. "Your wanderlust. I have no wish to restrict your freedom, but I can't allow you to go back to Shizuoka, or anywhere near it, until we're certain there's no chance you're going to run into… Dr. Light's murderer. You understand that, don't you? Not to mention"—and he nodded toward me with a slight smile—"there are too many journalists lurking around the place at the moment."

Blues listened with an impassive expression, and Dr. Cossack narrowed his eyes at him. "If you go, it'll be this morning's ordeal all over again. Think about your siblings, and think about Kalinka. This is for their protection, and of course yours. I need your word."

Blues looked down at Kalinka, and his face softened.

"You know, I too once tried to run away from it all," said Ivor. "It's how I, and Kalinka, through no choice of her own, ended up on this island. At first, I was captivated by the beauty of this place: the sea, the cliffs—and the solitude. It's hurt her, on top of what her mother had already done. She used to beg me to take her back to Moscow, though she could barely remember what it was like. I refused, painful as it was for me. Finally she gave up, and I realized that was the worst of all.

"Her life here"—his voice was breaking up-"…has been lacking, to say the least. It's never truly warm, even in the summer. There will be a few more mild days in August, and then…" He pushed the frames of his glasses further up the bridge of his nose. "Winter is long, dark, and cold, so cold that it's excruciating for us humans to breathe. The car stops working sometime in November, the snow piles up, and we're stranded till April—not that there's any more desirable place, within reach, to go anyway. I'm sure she's told you all about it.

"There was once a penal colony here, on this very spot…" His cheeks became slightly red. "I should get to the point, shouldn't I?

"My point is… that her life has been better since you've been in it. Mine, too."

Blues turned his face up at Ivor.

"Why are you so surprised?" Dr. Cossack said. "My daughter's abduction was the darkest hour of my life. I still think about it all the time. I imagine her terror, and her feelings of helplessness, and I despise myself for not being able to do a damn thing to help her. When those moments come, I'm in hell.

"There's only one thing that gives me any comfort, and it's that she wasn't alone. You were there, and you helped her, at no small cost to yourself."

"She helped me first," said Blues. "She made me realize I could care about someone, and even be cared about—that I deserved better than what I had."

"You helped her even though—from what I`ve heard—for most of your life, there was no one around to help you. It's remarkable." Ivor scratched his beard. "I mean, you're remarkable.

"There's no doubt that you care about her." He cleared his throat again. "I have only one problem. She looks forward to your visits, but she never knows when you'll come, how long you'll stay, or how long it will be until the next time. She worries about you constantly. I know you want her to be happy, but the way you treat her is not always kind. She puts on a brave face for you, so I don't think you even see it.

"She's been hurt, and she doesn't let just anyone in, but she loves you. Whatever you do, please don't disappoint her like the other important people in her life have done.

"You are part of a whole. If something ever happened to you, a lot of people would suffer. Remember that."

Blues looked at Dr. Cossack with his head turned slightly away. "I won't go back to Shizuoka," he said. "You have my word."

Dr. Cossack smiled.

We heard a door open in the hallway. Yuichi emerged, yawning, with his arms stretched above his head.

"What did I miss?" he said.

"Roll destroyed the code," I said.

"Oh, thank God."

"Also, I've sent my piece to the Herald. We're leaving tomorrow morning."

When Blues heard this, he turned toward my husband with an expression of urgency. "Mr. Nishikawa," he said, "I want to talk to you."

"You do? That`s good," said Yuichi. He glanced Blues up and down with fond eyes, and I felt my throat tighten a little: it was the same look he gave Mirai every day when coming home from work. "I want to talk to you too."

Blues took a step forward. "Can my memories be erased?" he said.

Yuichi looked away, and sucked a little air through his teeth. "No, they can`t," he said. "But, you can choose whether to access them or not."

"But if Roll, or Wily, could find loopholes in the code, then maybe you could..."

My husband shook his head. "I`m sorry, Blues." He put a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Come with me. Let`s go outside."

With a parting glance at me, Yuichi led Blues down the stairs. They went out to the cliff together, and Ivor and I saw them from the window. We were able to hear only snippets of their conversation. Yuichi, in a reassuring voice, was stating his reasons, logistical and philosophical, why he couldn`t attempt to give Blues what he wanted. At one point, Judith went out to join them. The three of them talked until it was dark, and the ocean behind them turned black. The tone of their voices gradually lightened, and we heard little bursts of laughter.

Kalinka stirred in her resting place on the sofa, opened her eyes, and ran her fingers through her auburn hair. Just then, Rock and Roll appeared. They greeted us, and sat down next to Kalinka. Ivor joined them.

I became aware that I could no longer hear the voices of Yuichi, Judith, and Blues outside. We heard the door downstairs open and close, and three sets of footsteps coming up the spiral staircase. A moment later, the three of them came through the door.

We were all here, with Dr. Light`s urn in the middle. Rock and Roll leaned forward. Kalinka took a deep breath. Blues crossed his arms. Ivor put his hands behind his back. I glanced around at everyone in the room, and realized that the memorial service I`d been invited to witness was about to begin.


	7. Epilogue

"So, none of you knew anything about Wily`s plans to kill you?" said Dr. Cossack.

The three androids shook their heads.

"Well, Dr. Light must have known for a long time, considering the fact that he had enough advance notice to make your dopplegangers." He rubbed at the bridge of his nose under his glasses. "You mean, you didn`t notice any change in his behavior?"

Blues, standing beside Kalinka, laughed a little. "He was always good at withholding information," he said. "I have to give him credit for that."

Roll put her hand over the pocket at the side of her dress, as if to reach for her netphone; remembering it wasn`t there, she folded her hands in her lap. "He kept bringing us here this summer to teach you how to take care of us, Dr. Cossack," she said. "When we asked why, he told us he was just preparing us for the future." She paused, glaring down at the urn on the table. "He was in good health. We never imagined the future would come so soon."

Dr. Cossack nodded. "He fooled us all, didn`t he?" he said. "I knew he was a genius, but I`m amazed at how smoothly he pulled off your escape plan.

"I have just one question: how could he have known?"

"I know," said Rock, who`d been silent up until now. All eyes in the room were on him.

"Well, tell us," Judith said. "It's the final mystery."

Rock`s face had an expression of urgency. "Isn`t it obvious?" he said. "Dr. Light had an informant. Someone close to Dr. Wily."

Blues gave Rock a funny look. "But that could only mean…"

"Forte?" said Kalinka.

"Yeah," Rock said.

"So, this wasn`t just Dr. Light`s doing," said Yuichi beside me. "This was a conspiracy."

A few silent moments passed as this information sank in. Rock sat forward in his seat, looking from face to face for a sign of understanding. Roll, next to him, crossed her arms and looked down at her lap. It seemed she`d heard this theory before, and was nearly convinced.

Judith exhaled deeply. "My God, it makes sense," she said at last. "Poor thing."

Rock nodded, and wiped at his eyes with both hands. He looked anguished.

"Listen, Rock," said Dr. Cossack. "If there was any way at all for Dr. Light to help him, he would have done it. You believe that, don`t you?"

"I do," Rock said, but seemed to take no comfort in the idea.

"I don`t get it," said Blues. "Forte was trying to kill you."

"There was no reason for us to be enemies," said Rock, in a shaking voice. "He knew he`d outlived his... usefulness to Wily. He had nothing to lose by saving us. Maybe it was his way of getting revenge.

"I know I`m naïve." He raised his head, and his eyes seemed to look through us. "Being kind hasn`t usually worked out in my favor. But I also know that, once in a while, it has."

With no further mysteries to solve or perils to overcome, there was nothing to distract our little group, composed of Dr. Light`s friends, colleagues, students—and children—from opening the floodgates of our emotion.

 

We all woke early the next morning. Judith decided to leave together with Yuichi and me. We didn`t know if she`d planned it that way all along, or if she wanted to escape the possibility of being left alone with Ivor—and we didn`t ask.

Our hosts formed a line in front of the house as we said our goodbyes. Blues stood a little off to the side, with Kalinka next to him.

Judith placed her bag on the ground, and lingered in front of Rock and Roll. "I'll send your things along soon," she said, and smiled. She embraced them one by one, and then kissed each of them on the cheeks—and their reaction was the same as mine had been days earlier: they looked up at her in bemusement, unsure what to do. "I can afford a visit once in a while. I'll be back this winter, to see how you're holding up."

She smiled at Ivor, and looked back at Rock and Roll with misty eyes. "I'm leaving you in his hands. He's the best man for the job."

Dr. Cossack, with a self-affirming nod of agreement, smiled back at her.

Yuichi was next. He clasped each of them in an ebullient handshake. "Stay cool," he said, and made a show of zipping up his jacket. "Cool—get it?"

They laughed.

They turned to me, and my heart lurched. I'd destroyed my PIT, and probably gotten myself into a lot of trouble, in order to get here. Since I had no desire to end my career at the Herald, I knew that, if I ever saw them in person again, it wouldn't be for a very long time.

"Thanks for your help," Rock said to me.

"I was happy to do it," I said, "though I'm sorry it was needed."

He didn't exactly smile, but his eyes were bright, and I knew in an instant that he would be okay. I reached down to give him a hug, which he returned with equal strength. It was as warm as I'd imagined it would be.

I looked at Roll. "It's an honor to be entrusted with your secrets," I said.

Roll laughed. "You don't know half of them." I hugged her, and felt her long hair drape itself over my shoulder.

I approached Blues at a slight distance. "You don't know me," I said, "but you have no idea how glad I am to know that you're safe."

He smiled a little. "Thanks," he said.

Just then, Kalinka stepped forward and embraced me. "Ms. Nishikawa," she said, "thanks for being our friend."

I took her hand in mine and shook it firmly. "I`m pulling for you," I said, in a croaking voice. "Take good care of each other." I remembered Judith`s suggestion about getting a piano, and for a moment I became lost in a dream of their near future, so real I could almost hear it. It was beautiful.

I figured it was time to go, and began to walk reluctantly toward the car when I noticed Yuichi and Judith standing in front of Blues. For the longest time they said nothing at all, seemingly content just to look at him. The wind picked up, and Judith wrapped her jacket more tightly around herself. She reached out and touched Blues on the elbow.

"Are you cold, dear?" she said, and emitted a quiet laugh.

"No," he said, smiling.

Yuichi smirked. This seemed to be the rehashing of an old joke between the three of them. I remembered the photograph I'd seen of Blues, Judith, and Yuichi standing in front of a snowdrift outside the Nurtech headquarters on Blues's first birthday, only hours before he had disappeared.

After a few minutes, they managed to tear themselves away. Judith hid her face with the palm of her hand, and I knew she was crying.

We got into our rental cars, Yuichi and I in one, and Judith alone in the other, and drove away together along the dirt road. I looked back as the five people standing outside the house shrank, then disappeared from sight, and I felt a little sad to be leaving them there on that cold and weather-beaten cliff.

"Yuichi," I said. "After Blues asked you to erase some of his memories, what did you tell him that made him change his mind?"

"That, for better or worse, our memories make us who we are," said Yuichi, and sighed, "and that if I helped him to `forget` his past, he might not love Kalinka as much."

"Isn`t there anything he can do?"

"There is something," said Yuichi. "Make lots of happy memories. Drown out the bad with the good. He said he`d `work on it.`"

"By the way, Yuichi, how is it possible? I mean, to program consciousness, and feelings, into something that's essentially a computer?"

"It isn't possible at all," Yuichi said. "There's no seat of consciousness in the human brain either. Dr. Carr—Catherine—knew that. All that's needed is the ability to experience sensation, to take in data, and to make connections. Lots of connections. Somewhere within those connections, if there's enough of them, consciousness just arises of its own accord. It's… ubiquitous, I guess."

 

When I walked into the Sapporo Herald the next morning, I feigned holding my tail firmly between my legs.

I took a deep breath, and went into Takada's office. He was waiting for me, holding an envelope containing the photos I had sent.

"I ought to fire you on the spot," he said, "but the world needs to see these photos, and your article's not halfway bad either." He sighed, and dropped the envelope onto the desk. The corner of one of the photographs peaked out, a glimpse of simulated mechanical carnage. "As much as I hated to look at these, this will be good for the Herald.

"So, you went to Shizuoka," he said, "and Dr. Sorensen gave you access to the house and let you take these pictures. That was days ago. Then your PIT stopped working, and you went AWOL. We had to contact your mother-in-law and your daughter, and even they didn't know where you were. You've caused us a lot of trouble here." He gave me a hard stare. "Not to mention, we were worried about you. At least tell me what happened."

"I'm sorry," I said, trying to sound sincere, and bowed low at him. "I know this is no excuse, but I only want to explain myself…"

"Well?" Takada said. "What is it?"

"It's what you warned me about," I said. "This story… it brought up some personal issues between Yuichi and me. We met up in Shizuoka, and we had some things to work out between us, as a couple..."

Takada clicked his tongue at me. "I told you I'd send someone else to cover it, if you just asked. Anyway, the Obon holidays are just two weeks away. Couldn't you wait till then to work on your… personal issues?"

"I said I had no excuse."

"Fine." He relaxed his posture a little. "I'm not going to ask. It's none of my business anyway. I know this whole thing has been trying for Yuichi. The two of you have my sympathies."

I nodded.

"You have a good reputation here. Just promise me you're not going to flake out on me like that again."

He sent me away. That was that.

 

My article, and the accompanying photos, were on the front page of the next day's paper. Mirai scrunched up her nose at them.

"Yuck," she said. "Mom, you really saw that?"

"Yes, I did," I said.

"Good thing they were just robots," Mirai said. "But, some people thought they were alive, didn't they?"

"Yeah, a lot of people did," I said. "Now, I guess we'll never know."

 

I went to the post office and retrieved the disk I`d kept hidden for thirteen years, which contained the video file named "Blues, 10:00 a.m., 1/3/2061." One night, while Mirai was staying over at a friend`s house, I showed the disk to Yuichi. We decided to destroy it.

For the first few weeks after Yuichi and I came home, we scanned the news religiously for any word about the person we`d started referring to, among ourselves, as "number five." There was nothing. Little by little, the people of Shizuoka began to relax. Rockman was grieved, and a memorial was put up in front of Shizuoka`s city hall, then another one in Odaiba—and life went on. The murders of Dr. Light and Dr. Wily remained unsolved, although plenty of people had their theories. No one had any idea that "number six" was out there somewhere, too, already loving the world and waiting to be awakened by voices that would never come.

Winter was especially cold in Sapporo that year. The snow came down so thick that it blocked out the sky, and the streets were buried under sheets of ice. I often thought of the Cossacks` home in Sakhalin, hundreds of kilometers due north of us, and found myself worrying a little about its residents.

Then, one day in mid-January, I received a message on my phone titled, "Delete This." It was from Kalinka. There were a few files attached, and I opened them one at a time. After I looked at them, I did as Kalinka had asked.

They were recent photos of "R+R+K," plus "B." Happy ones.


End file.
